The Coolhunt

"The Coolhunt" by Malcolm Gladwell discusses who decides what is cool to wear or to have. A "coolhunt" is finding out what's in style-what today's teens are wearing-and making a product out of what they observe or "the collection of spontaneous observations and predictions that differ from one moment to the next." Two women named Dee Dee Gordon and Baysie Wightman are on the coolhunt in this story. "She had been out in Los Angeles and had kept seeing the white teenage girls dressing up like cholos, Mexican Gangsters, in tight white tank tops known as 'wife beaters,' with a bra strap hanging out, and long shorts and tube socks and shower sandals." This is where Dee Dee got her shower sandals idea; she observed the teens; what they wore, how they wore it, and the colors they wore. These hunters watch the places where things are cool: Los Angeles, New York, Dallas; or sometimes even other countries such as Japan. The coolhunters goes and asks different teenagers about their look and how often they buy it. The hunt can be about any type of clothing or any other trend. After they get back from the coolhunt they sit with marketing experts, designers. "...she sits down with marketing experts and sales representatives and designers, and reconnects them to the street, making sure they have the right shoes at the right place." Coolhunters goes to other hunters with their ideas and together they make a better version of that product. Malcolm Gladwell intoduces many coolhunters and coolhunting techniques. Coolhunters will always be around, watching, looking for the next best thing.
Tone:humorous, satire
Vocabulary:None