Kontoor Brands to produce protective gowns in response to Covid-19 pandemic

Lifestyle and apparel company Kontoor Brands has begun producing protective gear to help those in hospitals and on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company, whose portfolio includes brands Wrangler and Lee, has started producing around 50,000 Level 1 patient gowns and 10,000 disposable isolation gowns for clinicians at North Carolina-based hospitals.

The protective gear is being produced at the company’s owned and operated manufacturing facilities, with patient gown fabric donated by Copen United Limited and Cotswold Industries, Inc., zippers from YKK (U.S.A.) Inc., and disposable protective fabric for the isolation gowns from Greensboro-based Precision Fabrics Group, Inc.

Kontoor Brands is also making a donation to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina to help those affected by job disruptions and school closures in the area.

The company said that it “continues to assess the impact of coronavirus on its operations” and is taking “significant measures” to ensure the health and safety of its global workforce.

“In times like these, it’s important that we all rise to the occasion and redirect our efforts to help solve critical issues that have resulted from the spread of Covid-19,” said Kontoor Brands CEO Scott Baxter in a statement. “By producing gowns, we hope to help provide hospitals with the much-needed equipment to fight this virus.

“Our company is proud to support the efforts of many across the country in fighting Covid-19. We will continue to look for ways we can help our communities and the people most affected by this crisis.”

Photo credit: Kontoor Brands