The activity of cool-hunting as it is known today was born at the start of the 1990’s and Future Concept Lab was the first institute in the world to launch back in 1994, the Street Signals research program with correspondents in 5 cities around the world (Milan, Paris, London, New York and Tokyo) that on a permanent basis monitored fashion, consumption and retail trends through an ethno-anthropologic observation, photographic and video techniques.

The theoretical basis of this activity dips its roots into Anglo-Saxon sociology linked to the analysis and interpretation of the youth subcultures. Speaking of which Subculture. The Meaning of Style by Dick Hebdige who at the end of the 1970’s gave theoretical dignity to languages of youth clothing, remains a fundamental book.

In 1994 the theme gained mediatic relevance - also for the general public – with the exhibition Streetstyle held at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The exhibition catalogue realised by Ted Polhemus and followed in 1996 with the second volume Style Surfing by the same author, constitute important points of reference in this regard.

In the middle of the 1990’s the analysis dedicated exclusively to the youth culture extends to the other generations as happened in 1995 in Dress Codes by Ruth P. Rubinstein and in Street Trends by Janine Lopiano-Misdom and Joanne de Luca. In recent years other publications have been dedicated to the subject including Coolhunting by Peter Gloor and Scott Cooper.

The most relevant FCL books in this module are:
Fashion Subway, Modo, 1998
Real Fashion Trends, Scheiwiller, 2007
Consum-Authors, Scheiwiller, 2008