Cool hunting: an increasingly sought-after professional practice

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Corrado Manenti
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There are many professions in the fashion world: fashion designers, fashion bloggers, stylists and many more. Today we talk about the cool hunter: who are they and what do they do specifically?

Literally, cool hunters are the trend hunters? precisely because they are constantly on the lookout for emerging trends.

But let's try to understand more in depth what a cool hunter does: various periodicals and blogs describe the practice of cool hunting as the art of travelling the world observing all the coolest trends with the aim of gaining valuable information on what the trends of the moment and those of the near future are.

 This professional activity is used in different sectors but especially in the fashion worldIndeed, the origins of this practice can be found in the world of fashion.

A woman in trousers with a leopard print hunts fashionably in a street at night.

If you are considering a career as a cool hunter, you should know that it will not be easy because it is a profession that has not yet been fully codified in terms of both training and career opportunities.

 But let's take a step back, first try to understand what characteristics you need to possess if you want to embark on the road of cool hunting!

 

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A COOL HUNTER

A cool hunting pro in front of a neon sign.

You have to be very perceptive because in this business it is essential to understand what is different, i.e. understand consumer habits and the way they think and act in addition to understand ahead of time what the trends of the near future will be.

So you will need to have an above-average knowledge and spirit of observation about your surroundings precisely because your role will be to understand in advance what will be the coolest trends now and in the future!

We have said that a cool hunter must have an excellent spirit of observation in order to intercept current and future trends. This is a fundamental characteristic but it is not enough! If you want to embark on this path you must be willing to be on the road all the time, you must be able to speak at least two languages and you must be a sociable person who likes to relate openly with others.

But let's go ahead and see what the main working tools of a cool hunter are!

 

WHAT TOOLS A COOL HUNTER USES 

A person who hunts fashionably and captures images with a camera.

A cool hunter must necessarily have two main instruments:

1- One digital camera

 This will be your main tool with which to capture the most important moments that will allow you in the subsequent analysis phase to understand what trends are in vogue and future trends by looking at all the photos you have taken.

2- A notepad

This tool is also fundamental because it will allow you, along with the photographs, to mark down all the most important aspects you have noticed during your travels so that you can process all the information correctly when analysing it, jotting down any details you deem necessary.

Whether the notepad is electronic or paper, you should use the medium that is most convenient for you.

A notebook and pen on a white surface, used for fashion hunting.

Now that you know the characteristics and tools needed for a cool hunter, let's find out how you can catch trends and understand what trends are considered cool now and in the near future!

 HOW TO CAPTURE TRENDS

Definitely the target audience for understanding trends are young people and their culture. This is because it is young people who can indicate which trends will be most popular in the near future through their style, their opinions and their way of acting.

But let us now turn to the world of fashion and the application of the professional practice of cool hunting within the fashion industry.

There are usually two types of search:

Internal research

This has to do with the designer's search for inspiration.

External search

This type of research focuses more on research concerning the outside world and therefore includes everything related to the study of trends through customer visits, participation in trade fairs, suppliers, marketing, market research and so on. 

The fashion world uses the activity of cool hunting with the aim of possessing information about the development of fashion trends in advance, in a way that is functional to production timing.

This process is complex because in order to get all the information in advance, fashion companies rely on market research agencies that procure all the relevant information using both standard methods, e.g. traditional and digital marketing techniques, but also by hiring figures such as cool hunters who will have the task of understanding in advance what the trends of the near future will be.

In this way, fashion brands will learn in advance about the trends of the near future and design new collections based on these trends from the above-mentioned research.

A woman in bright clothes strolling by a sunny vehicle, a beautiful hunting job that becomes more and more sought after.

ABSTRACT

We have seen that the cool hunter is a professional practice that consists of researching present and near future cultural, social and consumer trends and that it is mainly used in the fashion world where it is essential to know in advance all the trends that will be considered cool in the near future.

 

CREATE YOUR FASHION BRAND BASED ON FASHION TRENDS

 

 I hope you found the information we discussed useful and interesting!

In the article ?How hip hop took metal and pop ruined everything? you can read a practical example of cool hunting research and get a clearer idea of how important it is to carry out a detailed trend analysis with the aim of designing a fashion product that is saleable and considered cool by those who will wear it.

Keep up to date with news from the fashion world! Visit our social channels now and our blog where we publish weekly content on the news of this fantastic industry!

A woman in a teal suit showing off fantastic hunting skills.

Want to create your own fashion brand?

We at Be A Designer can help you build your Fashion Brand!

 
Corrado Manenti, the designer of designers, showcases his work in Elementor Single Article #3277.
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