I am sometimes called a trend tracker. Occasionally, I am referred to as a cool hunter. Luckily, I am neither of those things. Which is just as well, because I don't have spiky hair or a collection of overpriced sneakers. But I do occasionally work for the website WGSN.com, which is a trend intelligence service. Its job is to identify trends – mostly in fashion but also in media and marketing – and sell this information to clients, who pay for a password.
For more than a decade, WGSN has been the largest and best known trend forecaster in the market. But this autumn it has a new rival: Stylus.com. Stylus is mostly focused on trends in design and interiors. But it promises many of the things that WGSN already has: bureaux in major cities, a network of freelancers, and a large permanent staff of former designers and trend gurus. Some of them used to work at WGSN. In fact, the founder of Stylus, Mark Worth, was also the founder of WGSN, which stands for Worth Global Style Network.
WGSN has a lot going for it: a long history, a well known brand name, and a forthcoming re-launch that will make it even more attractive to clients. The arrival of a hungry young newcomer will no doubt prompt further improvements: competition is good for media brands. Still, I'm going to be keeping a wary eye on Stylus. Let the battle of the cool hunters commence.
