A TV series about the '90s has sparked a surge in demand for Levi's jeans. The brand's shares soared 16%

US clothing brand Levi's recorded a sharp rise in demand for its Model 517 jeans following the release of the TV series "Love Story", the company said after releasing its first quarter report.

"One clear indicator of the strength of our brand was the 25 percent increase in sales of our iconic 517 jeans, which Carolyn Bessette famously wore and were featured in the popular TV series 'Love Story,'" Levi's CEO Michelle Gass said at a conference call following the April 7 report.

Released in February, "Love Story" tells the story of the complicated relationship between an iconic couple of the 1990s - Calvin Klein PR director Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy, Jr, son of the 35th President of the United States. Bessette, who was considered a style icon at the time, wore Levi's 517 flared jeans. That model is still sold at Levi's stores for $110, Yahoo Finance notes.

Levi's 517 sales growth was a key factor in the company's fiscal first quarter, which ended March 1, being more successful than expected, the publication writes. The company's adjusted earnings rose 10.5% year over year to $0.42 per share - analysts had expected about 13% less, according to MarketWatch. Revenue rose 14% to $1.74 billion, beating analysts' forecasts by 5%.

On the back of good demand, Levi's raised its sales growth forecast for the current fiscal year (ending Nov. 29) to 5.5-6% to 5.5-6.5% from 5-6%. The company also improved its full-year adjusted earnings outlook to $1.42-1.48 per share from $1.4-1.46.

Shares of Levi's in the course of trading in New York on April 8 at a moment rose more than 16%. Before this jump, they were in a slight negative since the beginning of the year - the quotes were pressured by concerns about the impact of the war in Iran on consumer demand, notes MarketWatch.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor