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The shares of Levi Strauss flew away as the blue jeans company went public.
The price rose immediately after the opening of Wall Street and rose 31.8%, valuing the company at $ 8.7 billion (£ 6.7 billion).
The company, aged 166, who won gold when the founder has patented the use of rivets in clothing, holds about 5% of the global market for jeans.
Part of the funds raised through the IPO will be used to expand Levi's clothing line and expand to other countries.
"The IPO [initial public offering] This is not an arrival line, it's a new starting line for us, "BBC chief executive Chip Bergh told the BBC.
"I do not feel that my job is done, I came here to run the business, so that the Levi brand's become what it was when I was a kid, like I remember, there is still a lot of work to be done, "he said.
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Flotation comes at a time when fashion experts say that consumers are experiencing a new popularity of denim, due to the resurgence of the styles of the 1990s, such as high-waisted jeans and striped jeans.
"Denim continues to prevail in streetwear and on the catwalks, so we do not expect it to go so soon," said an badyst at Edited's retail badysis company. "That's why the time has come for Levi's to take advantage of this momentum."
Levi went public for the first time in 1971. But after 14 years, it was privatized by the Haas family, descendants of founder Levi Strauss, as part of a $ 1.6 billion buyout. This made the company highly indebted, which, according to Bergh, has weighed on trade for years.
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The strict dress code on the New York Stock Exchange has been relaxed so traders can mark the moment with style
Shares for the IPO on Thursday were priced at 17 USD, above the expected range, as part of a highly oversubscribed bid. At closing, the price was $ 22.5.
"The company and the underwriters have targeted a reasonable valuation and allowed the real demand of investors to dictate the price," said Jeff Zell, senior badyst at IPO Boutique Research firm.
The Haas family will retain 80% of the voting rights of the public company.
The founder, Levi Strauss, settled in San Francisco in 1853 during the California Gold Rush, opening a haberdashery business. In 1873, he and his partner received a patent for the use of rivets to make clothes more durable.
Analysts said the success of the listing augurs well investors' appetite for the other floats expected this year, including Lyft, Uber, Pinterest, Airbnb and Slack.
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