Jeremy Gutsche and TrendHunter.com Featured in The Globe and Mail Edit

Jeremy Gutsche was featured in the Globe and Mail, in a lengthy profile that covered the fashion section. 

The profile comes in within a week of Jeremy Gutsche’s appearance on FOX Business News, and Trend Hunter citations in CNN.

ORACLE: JEREMY GUTSCHE: GO-TO GUY FOR WHAT’S NEXT

Trendspotter gets help from a Calgary carpenter

JANETTE EWEN

Special to The Globe and Mail (Print Edition, Section Front)

September 20, 2008

Think of Jeremy Gutsche as a dealer of sorts - the man you go to for a hit. He’s street-smart, connected and always one step ahead. And he’s feeding an insatiable appetite.

As founder and chief trend hunter of the popular style website TrendHunter.com, Toronto-based Gutsche is the go-to guy when the marketplace needs a fresh dose of cool. Reaching millions of viewers a month, his site delivers the “what’s next” in everything from business and technology to design and fashion. He also uses the research data generated by his website to guide corporations as they target markets and develop strategies.

On Friday, Gutsche is slated to speak at the IIDEX/NeoCon Canada show in Toronto, where he will expound on the art of leveraging new trends into breakthrough ideas.

I work with the largest network of trend hunters in the world. They are constantly searching for what is cool or new. Their finds are then posted on our site. From there you can see what becomes the most popular by the number of hits received.

Who are your trend hunters?

We have a huge range of people who submit trends; one of our best trend hunters is a 60-year-old retired man from Kentucky. He submits the most cutting-edge trends in pop culture and fashion. We also have a PhD from Malaysia, an independent filmmaker in New York, a carpenter from Calgary. One of my favourites simply describes herself as a social manipulator. She’s from Toronto.

Do trends come out of left field or can you see them building?

At TrendHunter.com, we are constantly searching for the cutting edge, the sparks that are micro trends and viral innovations. So we actually prefer the blossoming micro trends from left field.

Why did you decide to start TrendHunter.com?

I have an insatiable curiosity; I am also a natural entrepreneur. Putting these two skills together allowed me to create the largest trendspotting site in the world. I also get to have fun every day.

What are the top three trends for fall?

Political fashion is a big one: Sarah Palin’s glasses, Cindy McCain’s luxury outfits, Michelle Obama driving the popularity of the colour purple.

Also, there’s Gothic clothing for babies! We will see even more of this as celebrities have more children. The popularity of celebrity babies is intense and continues to grow.

Finally, there’s the abolition of traditional beauty. We have seen this in the past with the use of ugly models. This is becoming even more real and is starting on the runway. Vivienne Westwood just sent real Gypsies down the runway, while Yohji Yamamoto used seniors as models and another designer used prostitutes.

What role does the economy play in trends?

Innovation and strategic advantage hinge on the ability to leverage trends and consumer insight. By developing products and services that connect with consumers, companies create preference, which creates profit.

Jeremy Gutsche’s seminar at the IIDEX/NeoCon Canada Exposition and Conference (http://www.iidexneocon.com) is titled Unlocking Cool. It takes place at 12:30 p.m on Sept. 26.

***

Anatomy of

a trendsetter

BORN

In Calgary in 1978

EDUCATED

Bachelor of arts in finance from the University of Calgary

MBA from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.

Recently studied customer-focused innovation at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in California

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Building a $1-billion portfolio of marketing products as a director at Capital One

Turning TrendHunter.com into the world’s largest trendspotting site, with seven million monthly views

The upcoming launch of TrendHunter TV, an online TV channel

FUN FACT

Has swum with sharks