"Merchants of Cool" and the Unsustainable Fashion Industry 1/6/18

             



        As discussed in Merchants of Cool, cool hunting is the method used by professionals to predict upcoming trends by surveying or observing trendsetters (cool kids)/a given company's demographic in attempts to become ahead of the game. These professionals then report back to big companies their findings. It's essentially a big formula--cool hunters survey trendsetters, present a company with their information, the company then turns around and uses the info on what's cool to tweak their products, and so on and so on. However, at the end of this chain, what this cycle ultimately suffers from is that the cool product is cool for a split second, the trendsetters move on, and suddenly the whole process starts all over again.
        Keeping in mind that what's now considered cool won't be tomorrow, cool hunting is to blame for this horrible circumstance. What this process does is create industries that are quickly changing, and unpredictable. They're always trying to become the next big thing.
        The first industry to come to mind/most obvious industry that suffers greatly from this practice is the fashion industry. It has and will always be one of the most unsustainable industries. Currently, brands are exploiting the popularity of "dad shoes" (ugly shoes with huge bulky silhouettes to them). After seeing the success of Balenciaga (one of the original brands to go all out on a dad shoe), many other brands, including both fast fashion and high fashion, attempted to replicate the look in hopes of as good/greater success. However, similar to Kurt Cobain shades (another recent trend to be completely blown out), and a number of other short-lived trends, people were wearing dad shoes long before Balenciaga ever debuted its famous Triple S model.
        As much as I would like for this harmful cycle to come to a close, and for people to start making/doing things not because it will be cool, but because they want to do it, I know that I have to come to accept that this won't change. And as much as this harms the environment, the economy, and even the trendsetters themselves, companies' drive for profit will make them do anything.