Lee joins hands with Appalachia to make suitability more accessible

The iconic denim brand Lee known for its apparel has joined hands with AppHarvest to be the official and exclusive supplier for employees at its new high-tech greenhouse in Appalachia. The collaborative announcements arrive in time for Lee’s new 60-acre controlled environment agriculture facility in Morehead, Kentucky. The facility will now be able to provide a fresh source of suitable agriculture for the Easter Coast.

Since the company was founded in 1889, Lee has produced overalls, dungarees and jackets. They have been partly responsible for providing apparel for America’s workforce. The company’s slogan resonates with “The Jeans That Built America”. Lee continues to hold its legacy by providing apt designs, crafted for approximately 300 employees of AppHarvest. Lee’s Global Head of Design, Betty Madden is in charge of the development of the uniforms.

Madden stated that for over 130 years the brand has unrelenting optimism and has pioneered sustainable spirit. She further added that they were really pleased to join forces with AppHarvest, an organization that has shared their commitment to suitability and innovation.

She said that at AppHarvest they have reinvented American agriculture by uptown 30 times more food in an indoor acre when comped to traditional open-field farming. The company has executed this while consuming 90% less water. AppHarvest Founder & CEO Jonathan Webb stated that they admired Lee’s commitment towards sustainability and looked forward to partnering with them to show Middle America leading in the field.

The collaboration has aligned their commitment towards utilizing innovation to further sustainable practices, specifically around water.  AppHarvest’s farms are known to apply hydroponic growing techniques and circular water distribution that eliminates agricultural runoff. Lee has revolutionized the method indigo is dyed, through its Indigood™ foam dying technology that virtually eliminates water from the process.

Roian Atwood, the Senior Director of Sustainable Business at Lee, stated that they looked forward to challenging themselves to redefine how they operated to create a brighter future for their planet and their industry. He stated that partnering with the minds at AppHarvest would help them broaden their perspective on their suitability ideas.