Levi’s riding high

IPO aims to sew up $800M 0M

Levi Strauss is looking to raise as much as $800 million in an initial public offering this spring, launching a second stint on the stock market after more than 30 years as a private company, according to a report.

The 145-year-old firm — whose eponymous founder is credited with inventing jeans and marketing them to 19th-century California gold prospectors — is looking to debut on a public exchange with a valuation of $5 billion, according to CNBC, which first reported the news.

The f irst time that Levi’s went public in the US was in 1971 — long before it became known for sassy fashions (right).

When the Strauss family, which still owns most of the company, bought it back in 1985, it had been one of the largest leveraged buyouts ever.

A spokesman for the company declined to comment.

While Levi Strauss US stock is private, it files quarterly reports because its debt trades publicly. The company reported a 45 percent surge in profit, to $130 million, during the quarter ending in August.

It’s unclear whether Levi Strauss would debut on the New York Stock Exchange, but Wall Street watchers noted that the home of the Big Board doesn’t allow jeans on the trading floor.

Kristen Kaus, a spokeswoman for NYSE, said she couldn’t speculate on the debut since an announcement hasn’t been made, but noted that the exchange has suspended its dress code before.

“We did bend our trading flooroor dress code for the Butterfieldield Bank IPO in 2016 — allowing des-designated market makers to wearwear colored Bermuda shorts,” Kaus said.

“We love to give companies that list with us a really memorable day.”

JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs are managing the deal, ac-according to CNBC.

JPMorgan Chase Chief Execu-cutive Jamie Dimon has previously said he’s a fan of Wrangler jeans.ns.

In August, when reports surfaced that fraying Wrangler wasas exploring a spinoff, Dimonn spokesman Joe Evangelisti declined to say whether his bosss would consider switching too hipper Levi’s.