26 October 2021
THANK YOU to every young person who took the time to submit their ideas for the design of the 2022 Musto trip t-shirt.
Musto are the Trust's long- term clothing supplier. And getting their Musto tee on day one is always a highlight of every young person's Trust trip, however many times they have returned and however many tees they now have!
Once the tees go on, they rarely come off as young people feel sense of belonging at being part of this (new) community. Everyone's in it together. The tee is key to that identity.
Beautiful ideas
To celebrate being back together after a year off the water, we wanted to create our first ever collaborative Musto t-shirt design for 2022.
All young people supported by the Trust were invited to showcase their feelings about this summer and what it was like to be back together with others who 'get it' at the end of an immensely challenging year.
There were words, there were pictures. Most of all there was inspiration as we were blown away by the many different ways the Trust positively impacts young lives. The Musto team then took all these ideas to create a tee design that reflects the main themes. And this is that design.
It brings together the range of activities young people enjoy with the Trust, the skills they learn, the bonds they make encapsulated in the many different knots, the talking, the crabbing, the water fights, the food!
And it's all incorporated into the sense of freedom that comes from being on that boat and back with the Trust.
"I want to meet more amazing people"
Everyone who submitted design ideas was automatically entered into a prize draw to win an amazing Musto goodie bag, including a Musto Waterproof BR1 jacket, holdall, backpack and waterproof bag.
The lucky winner was 19-year-old Laura, who enjoyed a Taste of the Trust sailing day in Southampton for the first time this summer, having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019.
Laura's design suggestions included incorporating the different types of knots to show the connections made by young people on Trust trips.
She said: "I hadn’t really met anyone near my own age with a cancer diagnosis and it was quite isolating. I also found I would dismiss any feelings I was having around cancer because I felt I hadn’t been through enough to be worthy of it. It was a hard habit to break.
"The Trust really helped with that. It was so useful to meet people who had been through similar experiences, and to see that we’ve all been through tough experiences and other people’s stories shouldn’t overshadow yours. My Taste of the Trust really helped me to own my cancer experience and has really helped me talk about it and be more open with people."
Laura is now set to return for a four-day sailing adventure in Cowes next summer, where she will wear the tee she helped design with pride.
She added: "I want to come back next year because I want to meet more amazing people, and continue to build my confidence. I am most looking forward to the games of Uno and hopefully meeting up with some of the people I met this summer again.
"I really appreciate the opportunities the Trust has given me, because I really think it has helped to rebuild my sense of individuality and confidence with doing things independently, which has been so important at university."
The creative spark
This is the fourth Musto tee inspired by young people's ideas.
The annual t-shirt competition was born after sailors taking part in the Trust's Round Britain 2017 challenge visited Musto HQ, London and were tasked by Dan Taylor, Musto's Design Manager Apparel Graphics, Print and Branding, to have a go at designing t-shirts.
The trip tee design is something Dan looks forward being involved in every year. He explains: "After seeing the talent these young people had I did not want these to go to waste, so my idea of a design competition was born.
"This has gone from strength to strength and this year we have brought together concepts, thoughts and feelings from many of the Trust’s young people into one design.
"The Trust is a charity very close to my heart and they do an amazing job in rebuilding young people’s confidence. As a team at Musto we all come together to make this happen and I personally cannot wait to see the young people wearing their new 2022 t shirts on their new adventures.”
For more information about Musto visit www.musto.com