Business Notes Clothing

Until a year or two ago, blue-jeans wearers wanted the names Calvin, Gloria or Sergio on their back pockets. But right now they want pants that say Bruce, as in Springsteen. The most prominent items in the rock star's working- class wardrobe are faded pairs of Levi's no-frills 501 jeans. Springsteen does not make product endorsements and the pants do not carry his name, but true- blue fans would never mistake the brand of britches he wears on the cover of his current album, Born in the U.S.A. Says Levi Strauss Spokesman Dean Christon: "Springsteen's a great artist, and he certainly has great taste in jeans." The San Francisco company expects sales of its made-in-the-U.S.A. 501 model to jump 20% this year compared with 1984.

The popularity of the 501 comes as a welcome boost for Levi Strauss (1984 revenues: $2.5 billion), which suffered through the designer-jean craze and then a general slump in denim sales. Partly with help from Springsteen, the 501 has been riding a fashion U-turn back to the all-American look. Says Steve Yacker, manager of a Gap clothing store in Manhattan: "Designer jeans are out. The 501 has become a fashion statement."