Levi’s Icons Campaign Brings Western Spirit to Life with Shaboozey and Matty Matheson

Levi’s has launched a new global Icons campaign fronted by Grammy-nominated country artist Shaboozey and chef, restaurateur and Emmy-winning television star Matty Matheson.

The campaign centres on three short films directed by Glenn Kitson through Iconoclast with cinematography by Galo Olivares, highlighting some of Levi’s most recognisable pieces: the 501 Original, the Trucker Jacket and the Western Shirt. Created in-house at Levi’s, the films aim to capture the brand’s Western spirit through themes of resourcefulness, humour and self-assuredness.

“Levi’s approached me as they wanted a take on western spirit,” says Glenn, speaking with LBB. “They wanted a classic spot for their 501s so this is my homage to that. All those classic Levi’s ads I saw growing up were iconic.”

He adds that the films also gave him the chance to work in a more considered style, with a soundtrack he personally connected to. “It’s not often these days you get to make something a little slower and more considered and when I heard The Moonlandingz and Iggy Pop track, I reached out to my friend in the band and asked if we could use it.”

The collaboration is not the first time Shaboozey and Levi’s have joined forces. The brand has previously created custom pieces for the artist for performances and editorial features, reflecting an ongoing creative partnership and shared commitment to authentic self-expression.

“Working with Levi’s feels like coming home,” says Shaboozey. “These legendary Levi’s Icons aren’t just clothes – they’re part of who I am and they all tell a story. This campaign captures what makes them so special and what the Western spirit means to me.”

“Levi’s has always been about more than denim – it’s about the spirit of the people who wear it,” adds Kenny Mitchell, global chief marketing officer of the Levi’s brand at Levi Strauss & Co. “Shaboozey brings a genre-blurring, confident nonconformity that feels right at home in Levi’s®, and Matty’s got that same self-made, mischievous spirit. We wanted to imagine the kind of world they’d create if left to their own devices – paying homage to our history, even the ads, in a way that feels unmistakably Levi’s.”

And if you think Levi’s Western spirit stops at slow-burn storytelling, Glenn says you haven’t seen anything yet. “The next couple of ads show different aspects of western spirit… they get a bit crazier. Driving cars of cliffs and blowing them up… and the final one is my wee little homage to David Lynch.

“It’s such a vast concept western spirit, isn’t it? And this is through the filter of some kid who grew up in Bolton watching American TV. And Levi’s well… It's the iconic American brand. Such a privilege for me.”