Cool Hunting’s Tim Yu: Exclusive Interview w/ Artificial Flavor!
Cool Hunting has been around now for over 5 years, and is still one of the best sites on the net when it comes to staying up on, well, the coolest things around. Though not necessarily a fashion oriented blog, they do cover new brands from time to time, but only if the editors who write the content actually like the product. Marketers, designers, and consumers all turn to CoolHunting.com’s intersection of design, culture, and technology to stay ahead of the curve. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Tim Yu, who is one of the 4 editors of the site, to get the low down on what constitutes that ever elusive cool factor.
Q: Tell me a little bit about your experience at Cool Hunting.
A: I’ve been at CH for almost 2 years now. I’m always learning about new things but I enjoy the people I work with most. They are young, opinionated, super smart, and we all have different personalities that mesh well together as a team. We work hard to create original and engaging content but have fun doing it.
Q: For those that have never heard of Cool Hunting, how would you explain it to them?
A: Cool Hunting is an online publication with daily updates at the intersection of art, design technology and culture. Our editorial standard is very simple, “stuff we like.”
Q: I’ve always liked the sound of Cool Hunting because the word “cool” manages to remain, well, cool, while all other slang terms tend to wax and wane throughout each passing generation’s lexicon. How do you explain the amazing staying power of the word “cool”?
A: I think it’s partially because of the history of the word. What comes to mind for me is Miles Davis’ Birth of Cool and the beginning of the Cool Jazz genre. I also think the word itself just sounds and looks good too. It’s got great elements–hard and soft sounds and you can do funny things with the two o’s. But to be honest, I don’t know.
Q: How does your degree in Biology-Psychology come into play while hunting and blogging on the latest cool creations that are popping up in the world every day?
A: I don’t think my specific degree plays a roll but I believe in the scientific method and think that type of thought process helps with my job. I rely on my daily observations when looking for content and a lot of science is all about focused observations. Also, I oftentimes condense a lot of information into short paragraphs and this is something you do constantly writing scientific papers and abstracts.
Q: Cool is obviously a very relative term, what’s cool to one person may be considered uncool to another. How does one know what is cool and what is not? Does it always need to involve social context?
A: I hate to be cliche but cool is ultimately up to one’s opinion. That said, not all opinions are accurate, whatever the social context may be.
Q: Many people think that when things are relatively undiscovered, they are almost automatically considered cool, and once things go mass, they are no longer cool (unless you are Apple Computer). How much does obscurity factor into what you consider cool?
A: I think there is something to say when someone feels “in the know” or ownership of something, and that might make that thing a bit more coveted or cool. I think we all experience this.
When it comes the site, obscurity helps but is not a definitive factor of what we cover. We are really just concerned with “stuff we like” whether it’s obscure or not.
Q: As China’s middle class continues to expand at an alarming rate and along with it their demand for cars, fashion, and other luxury items, do you think that modern society from the West to now the East is becoming too obsessed with materialism? Are there any dangers of taking cool stuff too seriously?
A: I love to be cliche–moderation is key.
Q: In your opinion, what designers or brands are doing cool things in the men’s fashion world today?
A: I like plain stuff, so I tend to prefer more subdued brands like APC, Obedient Sons, Head Porter Plus and the like. On the other end, I think Jun Takashi of Undercover is extremely creative and presenting fashion in new ways along with Thom Browne who has a reputation for some of the craziest fashion shows.
Q: Is there a connection between Cool Hunting the blog and Cool Hunting People the fashion label?
A: No connection.
Q: Name the top 3 coolest things that you own.
A: Right now? My new Pilot Frixion erasable pen, a B&O turntable and my time machine
Q: Your bio says you like comfort food, especially on Sundays. Any favorite places to eat out, or do you prefer to cook?
A: I pretty much just eat my way through Sundays and it’s usually BBQ, Jewish, Greek, Middle Eastern or Korean foods. I always prefer to cook, but I’m not that good at it.
We are all very food centric at CH. We appreciate a tasty meal and it’s an important aspect of our team. In the office we have a family style lunch everyday.
Thank you Tim! You can read more about Tim’s background at http://coolhunting.com/authors/timyu.php
