J. Lee Hollowell (1920-2021) was a research chemist for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company and the co-inventor of Corfam artificial leather. Born in Penn Yan, New York, he received an A.B. from Cornell University in 1942. He joined DuPont as a chemist at its plant in Gibbstown, New Jersey, in May 1942.

Around 1950, DuPont's Newburgh, New York, Fabrikoid laboratory began working on a non-woven fabric that would be a true leather substitute. Subsequently, the Fabrics and Finishes, Film, and Central Research Departments worked competitively on the problem until the company selected the Fabrics and Finishes approach for commercial development. This was a heat-shrunk, needle-punched, non-woven web of Dacron polyester fiber, impregnated with an elastic polyurethane binder and top-coated with microporous polyurethane that was marketed under the trademark "Corfam" beginning in 1965. Corfam was produced in various colors and textures for shoe-upper leathers and artificial suede. However, the production processes were complex and cost high, and the product did not find favor with consumers, who found Corfam shoes less comfortable and porous. DuPont terminated production in 1972 but licensed the technology to Poland.