Luck is a funny thing, either it’s on your side or seemingly working against you.
When you get dealt a bad hand it’s hard not to let it get you down.
We recently got dealt a pretty unlucky blow when the original crowd-funding bag partner wasn’t able to provide our bags as agreed.
Over 110 of our lovely backers were patiently awaiting delivery of their TBA musettes, but we had nothing.
So, we set about designing our own bag from scratch, taking inspiration from the classic cycling musette and the school satchel. We asked friends for help, we researched materials and made prototypes on our kitchen table.
Then, thanks to the kind help of a friend, we found a Frome based bag maker whose clients include Bill Amberg, Liberty and Dr Martins. We met with them and after explaining what we were trying to do they agreed to make our bags, by hand, just for us. Over the next few weeks we refined the design, together with the bag maker, making sure it lived up to our imagination and would be a treat to use.
We gave it a shower proof cotton canvas outer, with a simple fold over flap, to keep your belongings dry if you get caught in the rain. The bottom corners are pinched to give a wide base making it easy to carry lots of things without the bag losing shape on your back. We lined it with a soft cotton canvas to give your stuff extra protection. Fitted a light yet strong webbing strap to allow the bag to sit comfortably across your front without digging in. There’s a reflective tag to help you be seen at night. And finally, we made sure it had subtle good looks, no garish branding, so you can wear it in lots of situations.
Things have turned out far better than we could have hoped for – we’ve developed our own unique bag design which has been made by hand in Frome and we’ve made some lovely new friends along the way too.
We’re pleased to say that if you pledged £50 or above during our crowd-funding campaign then you should receive your goodies (including your bag) through your letterbox this morning - a little later than originally planned, but well worth the wait we’re sure you’ll agree.
