- Charleston designer and third-generation beekeeper Jenna York founded Jeometry Beewear to create protective suits designed specifically for women.
- The lightweight “Sunny Suit” weighs less than two pounds and is made from recycled plastic water bottles.
- York surveyed more than 100 female beekeepers and tested multiple prototypes before launching the product.
- Strong customer demand has increased production from an initial 100 suits to an expected 800-900 units.
Beekeeping yields more than just honey. Some scientific research suggests beekeepers may age more slowly and live longer than the general population due to their consumption of bee products. Beekeepers also play a vital role in supporting local ecosystems by maintaining healthy pollinator populations, ensuring that wild plants continue to reproduce, providing food and shelter for birds, insects and other wildlife.
The practice has been around for thousands of years, yet the protective suits haven’t changed much. The one-size-fits-all approach leaves women struggling with poor fit and limited functionality. That matters, especially given the statistics, which reveal women make up an estimated 30-32% of the beekeeping community.
“I listened to women complain that the crotch of their unisex suit was at their knees and that everything fell out of their pockets the moment they bent over,” said artist, designer and third-generation beekeeper Jenna York, founder of Jeometry Beewear of Charleston…