Top-15: Authentic Authenticity
Science of the time’s latest Top-15 of the Coolest worldwide, with contributions of the best trend watchers and market experts worldwide, documents convincingly that it is all about AUTHENTIC AUTHENTICITY. With Distrust & Dishonesty on the rise as a cultural driver on almost all continents, especially the recession-prone ones, Authenticity alone is not enough anymore. It must be a more proven Authenticity: Authentic Authenticity. Read my summary below (click on ‘Read Why it’s Cool’).
Science of the time’s first Top 15 of the Coolest Worldwide in 2010 is, like always, composed of contributions by the best Trend Filters in this world.
Like Josh Levine, who leads one of California’s sexiest viral agency.
Like Paulo Al Assal, who leads Brazil’s leading trend consultancy agency.
Like Baptist Braye, worldwide recognized retail experts (and who teaches at Harvard).
Like Emerson Wang, one of the world’s most penetrative art critics.
Like Eduardo Garcia with his decade-long international career in advertising (South-America, Europe, Asia).
And many more.
With this broad and international kaleidoscope of excellent Trend Filters we proudly claim Science of the time’s Top 15 of the Coolest Worldwide to be the best overview of leading cool mentalities worldwide.
How can we summarize these cool mentalities as documented in the recent Top 15?
Overarching mentality trend worldwide – with Europe leading but the collective feeling is the same everywhere – is the desire for AUTHENTICITY. However, be aware, authenticity is a concept with many faces, with many CHANGING faces. We are talking here about AUTHENTICITY THE 2010-AND-FURTHER VERSION. Call it AUTHENTIC AUTHENTICITY.
Most probably the intensified desire for AUTHENTICITY is caused, or at least stimulated, by the risen consciousness of what the banking world did to the societal life of so many of us worldwide. Their greed, marketing and management has eroded the idea of Human and Societal Trust in a serious way. As a consequence: the new desire for AUTHENTICITY. Authenticity on its own is not enough anymore. It must be AUTHENTIC AUTHENTCITY.
What we see in Science of the Time’s latest Top 15 is that Authentic Authenticity is linked with COOL TRUSTWORTHY RETRO-MOMENTS. Rosa Alegria shows how Brazilian neighborhoods activate, through the school curriculum, the history, the fabric of one’s own community.
Authentic Authenticity also takes the road of PROUD STATEMENTS of NON-POLITICAL CORRECT MOMENTS. See what Eduardo Garcia contributes about the Heart Attack Grill. Or how Josh Levine admires Gucci, a brand that does not bow for the current mood of modesty, but still shouts: hello, I Am Luxury. By the way, our collective appreciation of these Proud Statements of Non-Political Correct Moments, might explain to some extent the lack of Cool Eco contributions in the recent Top 15. This will not mean that Cool Eco is over, definitely not, we will need it! It means that, right after the Copenhagen Conference, we distract ourselves with some other cool moments.
Authentic Authenticity means also going back to the honesty of INTIMATE MOMENTS. And sharing it on the Net, as in Beth Furtado’s contribution.
Last but not least, AUTHENTIC AUTHENTICITY is about making your surroundings more of your own. Be it the biggest asphalt streets in Sao Paulo (Paulo Al Assal) or the most authentic way to construct the music charts and hit parades in your country (Kees Elands at number 1).
Also in this Top 15 some creative addressing of SERIOUS SOCIETAL THEMES. Maria Cristina Pavarini’s contribution about Cake Sniffing seems to be funny and about almost nothing. But behind Cake Sniffing a whole (disturbing) mentality world is hiding. The same goes for Tais Reis‘ contribution about Femine Oppression by Intensified Commercialism - over the Top.
And of course, also in this Top 15 attention for some amazing designs – always with a narrative behind it. Umbrellas that express the rainy heart of Britain. Plus the coolest, most practical and most innovative (and therefore also most authentic – international fan design. Contributed by our two new Trend Filters from Japan: Tatsuo Hino and Hidetaka Furuya.
