Osun Labs, a company founded by three veteran executives of the sports and apparel industry, has launched its first product: the GO-Clip, a solution to the chronic discomfort around the ears that comes from wearing a face mask for prolonged periods.
When the pandemic began last year, co-founders Jeff Eagles, Jeff Volk and Brian Duffy sought ways to help people get back to work and school while wearing a mask. Eagles, Osun’s chief product officer and a designer who has worked with Adidas, Reebok, the NFL, NBA, MLB and even Harley-Davidson, quickly identified a common problem.
“Early on in our research one of the biggest pain points and difficulties people had with incorporating masks into their lives was the fact that they’re extremely uncomfortable to wear for a long period of time,” said Eagles in an interview. “We talked to people in the service industry and health industry [who have] to wear a mask for seven-to-eight hours at a time, so comfort was one of our critical aspects. The other thing we really considered was the idea of convenience and to [assure] that whatever we were creating to solve this issue was a convenient solution.”
The team developed the GO-Clip, a small plastic accessory that can be pinned onto a hat so that mask straps can hook around the clip’s button instead of the ears.
In addition to Eagles, advisor Volk, who has held leadership roles with Disney/ESPN+, the MLB Advanced Media and EXOS, and head of sales and revenue Duffy, whose previous experience includes working with Reebok, Adidas and Fanatics, Osun also has a number of other sports, technology, apparel and venture capital executives who have worked at places like Velocity Sports, Authentic Street Designs and Modell’s Sporting Goods.
“The pandemic has forced us to interact in new ways, and people expect safety from the companies, institutions, and brands they rely on daily. The GO-Clips are just the beginning of our work over the past year, and our team is dedicated to continue building additional solutions that help us get back to enjoying our lives responsibly,” Eagles said in a statement.
Outside of workers in frontline healthcare, first responders and hospitality, Osun Labs has partnered with Game Time and Winning Streak Sports. These pacts allow the GO-Clips to be featured in the MLB, the NHL and even the Professional Bull Riders and WWE.