To perform at their peak, the world’s finest sailors need the best technical clothing. For 50 years Musto has made it, with customers at the heart of everything it does.
Its designers are fanatical about detail and style, precisely placing ergonomic panels on active jackets to using the best specialist fabrics. Working only with top manufacturers ensures Musto quality. British from its roots, Musto products are designed to protect wearers in all climates and terrains, anywhere in the world.
‘That’s why in 2021,’ says the head of brand marketing, Emmie Brown, ‘Musto kicked off with the campaign theme, WE MAKE THE KIT, YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN.’ Performance clothing is designed and engineered for the adventures customers undertake. ‘It is the customers,’ she insists, ‘who test the limits, tackle all weather conditions and push the boundaries of our products’ capabilities. With such a loyal following, we step up to their challenges.’
Musto has encouraged those followers to venture outside their comfort zones and set fresh challenges. FEAR LESS DO MORE was spearheaded by an international roll-call of offshore sailors and adventure influencers – like Vendée Globe winner Armel Le Cléac’h and World Champion sailor Annette Duetz, who all trust Musto kit to take them from one achievement to the next. PERFECT PARTNERSHIPS again shone a spotlight on ambassadors, focussing on the relationship between co-skippers in the 15th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre. Musto lifted the veil on life onboard for the two-week race.
For UK sailors frustrated by race cancellations under Covid-19, Cowes Week 2021 was all-important, promising record entries. Musto made the experience even more special, with pop-up bars in partnership with a local brewery, prizes including the Musto Young Skipper’s Trophy, and relaxation zones for competitors.
In October 2021, Musto launched its new Evolution OSM Collection, designed in collaboration with key sailing ambassadors, 11th Hour Racing Team. Made entirely from a single fabric that easily breaks down and recycles at the end of its lifetime, this collaboration establishes a new base for future product development for the brand and helps launch its new sustainability initiative.
The year also saw Musto renew its relationship with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust for a further five years, making a 25-year commitment by the end of this new term. This charity is close to Musto’s heart: its annual T-Shirt competition offers young people supported by the charity a chance to design the annual Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust T-Shirt, worn by all staff, volunteers and young people during their calendar of events.
Finally, for the second year running, Musto won the Clothing Innovation of the Year Award at the British Yachting Awards, scooping the prize with its new FlexLite Vapour Collection – a range of performance dinghy wetsuits in breathable neoprene, designed for inshore sailing, built with sustainable materials including recycled plastic bottles. Emmie Brown points out, ‘this is the first sailing apparel on the market to use aqua based glue, and that means protection for sailors and less harmful chemicals entering the water.
‘We call it the inside edge,’ she says. ‘Cutting-edge performance comes from within – it’s in our DNA at Musto.’
