Levi’s 517 jeans sales jump 25% thanks to ‘Love Story’ and the Carolyn Bessette Kennedy effect
After spending about a month in the red, shares of Levi Strauss jumped back into positive territory for the year yesterday, following a strong earnings report that also noted a major milestone: For the first time, direct-to-consumer sales accounted for more than half of the company’s quarterly revenue.
High-rise, not distressed: Overall revenue last quarter increased 14% from the same time last year, buoyed by Levi’s store and website sales, but also by wholesale revenue. That trend even grew in the US, where Levi’s severed some retail partnerships as it leaned harder into DTC.
Working in Levi’s favor:
- The company offset tariff pressure by raising prices, which accounted for roughly half of its growth without steering away customers, according to its CFO.
- It lost some dead weight by selling its struggling khaki brand, Dockers, last month.
- Levi’s has also benefited from the popularity of ’90s styles like jorts and a resurgence of country trends (hat tip to Beyoncé).
Another pop culture bump: The company’s CEO said Levi’s saw a 25% spike in sales of its 517 jeans, which were a wardrobe staple for Carolyn Bessette and featured in the FX series Love Story about her and JFK Jr. The show premiered about two weeks before Levi’s quarter ended, meaning viewers wasted no time smashing that “Order” button.—ML
This report was originally published by Morning Brew.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com