What is "coolhunting"

n. The observation of emerging trends and styles, usually involving street fashion, as a form of market research.

Coolhunting is a term coined in the early 1990s referring to a new breed of marketing professionals, called coolhunters. It is their job to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends. The word derives from the aesthetic of "cool". Coolhunting is often referred to as "Trend Spotting."

In this they resemble the intuitive fashion magazine editors of the 1960s such as Nancy White ( Harper's Bazaar 1958–1971). Coolhunters operate most notably in the world of street fashion and design, but their work also blurs into that of futurists such as Faith Popcorn. Many webloggers now serve as online coolhunters, in a variety of cultural and technological areas.