Health, Beauty and Lifestyle with Denise McNamara

A Clifden destination store has been become B Corp certified, one of only 60 companies in Ireland – and just five fashion-focused businesses – recognised for their positive impact on community and the planet.

B Corps are companies that look beyond profit, from addressing workers’ conditions to environmental footprint, certified B Corps undertake years of preparation and work to comply with stringent standards of ethics, transparency and accountability.

Based on the B Impact assessment, Ohh! By Gum earned an overall score of 92.6. The median score for standard businesses is currently 50.9. There are over 9,600 companies globally which have won the certification after a rigorous assessment by B Lab, set up to “shift the behaviour, structure, and culture of capitalism”.

Sharon Griffin, founder and CEO of Ohh! By Gum, said there is something very special about wearing clothes that are made with care.

“You can feel it, not just in the soft touch of organic fabrics, but in the knowledge that the people who made them were treated with respect. This is a fundamental principle behind the Ohh! By Gum brand. B Corp certification is an exceptionally proud moment for us, and more than that, it’s a promise to ourselves and to others to keep doing better.

“It’s a huge milestone for any business but especially for a small, independent shop in a town like Clifden. It shows that meaningful change and high standards of sustainability, ethics, and community care are possible, even far from the urban centres.”

Nearly three decades ago, Sharon moved from London with her husband, Kevin Griffin, and their three sons, then aged five, four, and three – as a result of reading the Connacht Tribune.

Kevin worked as a photographer, and she assisted him as a stylist, location finder, caterer, and model on a significant press campaign for HSBC when they acquired Midland Bank.

“It was a great experience, but we rarely saw our boys, who were fortunately cared for by my mum and stepsister.”

In 1991 she and Kevin toured the west coast in their campervan when their son was just three months old. They stopped in Clifden for lunch outside EJ’s and saw Matt O’Sullivan’s Auctioneers window, dreaming of living there.

“On our way to Roundstone, we ended up in a ditch after swerving to avoid a coach, and a kind local farmer in his tractor eventually towed us out. Three years later, with two more sons, my husband was dropping my mum off in Cricklewood after she had minded our boys.

Pictured: The team working at Ohh! By Gum in Clifden: Mia O’Connor, Sara Heffernen, Evie Lavelle, shop manager Bobbi Cotter, owner Sharon Griffin and Lauren DeLappe.