Lee Fits Johnson County

Lee Jeans, a leading manufacturer of apparel with world-wide recognition, is headquartered in Johnson County. Throughout the years, the company has moved its headquarters from Salina to Kansas City and in 1966, to suburban Johnson County (State Line and Johnson Drive — now Shawnee Mission Parkway.) An office at 9090 Nieman Road was added in 1971 to handle the overcrowding until the new national headquarters opened at 9001 W. 67^th Street in Merriam, KS in 1976. Lee Jeans continues to be recognized for its innovative research, design and marketing; traits that have characterized this company from its very founding.

The company founder was Henry David Lee, an Ohio businessman who made his fortune in the kerosene oil industry. Lee moved to Kansas for health reasons and in 1889 he established the H.D. Lee Mercantile, a wholesale grocery in Salina, Kansas. His mercantile rapidly expanded to include general merchandise such as furnishings, school supplies and apparel. Lee actively expanded his business to include a flour mill, a wholesale hardware company, an ice plant and a bank. Unsatisfied with the quality and delivery of apparel to his mercantile, Lee expanded to manufacture work wear in 1911. Ties to this area started in 1915, when Lee opened the first of many manufacturing plants in Kansas City. The H.D. Lee Company continued to expand its share of the apparel market with innovative nationwide marketing. In the 1920s, Buddy Lee, an overall clad doll, emerged as part of a marketing campaign that continues in popularity today. In 1939, the H.D. Lee Company celebrated its 50^th anniversary as the nation’s largest manufacturer of work wear, with their slogan The Jeans that Built America. In 1969, the H.D. Lee Company consolidated with the VF Corporation. The merger was considered a success as Lee continued to grow with the new motto The Clothes You Need for the Life You Lead. Lee expanded in the 1970s, emphasizing comfort and fit for the entire family with the slogan Lee Fits America.

Lee has continued with innovations such as stonewashed denim in the 1980s and the use of twill in today’s casual wear. This Merriam-based company is also well known for its involvement with the community and fundraising efforts. Established in 1996, Lee National Denim Day has become the nation’s largest single day fundraiser for breast cancer research. Today, Lee Jeans is recognized for their wide variety of apparel including designs for western, work and casual wear sold in over 20 countries around the world.

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