Aug. 2 – Taste, style, passion and creativity, mixed with a critical spirit and a strong sense of aesthetics, all combined in an almost “explorer” nature and the desire to impress. If you meet Sara Benedetti on the street of London, you will notice her: fashionable clothes in the right colors, matching shoes and accessories. In one word: “cool.” Sara was born in 1984 in Trento, but Roman by adoption, she now lives in London and has made of her passion her job: the search for original looks, which arises when passion for fashion meets marketing. Cool hunters or “trend scouts observe and document the new trends emerging from the street, they are attentive to fashion and to anticipating future trends. They see – explains Sara – what features of a city have the opportunity to establish a global presence, they help companies understand whether the road taken is the right one, by taking pictures, visiting exhibitions, attending concerts, theater plays, gallery openings and trendy places.” Basically, they always keep their eyes open. Sara works and studies in London: “I’ve been here almost a year. I’m studying Fashion Marketing at London Metropolitan University. Meanwhile I photograph everything that attracts me and might be useful for work or my personal blog (http://londonmoody.tumblr.com/).” Today Sara is a good observer of trends and cultural patterns is important thanks to her past, with two tailor grandparents, a mother working in fashion and a father, a jazz drummer, famous for his extravagant looks. “As a child – she says – I was always surrounded by colorful personalities, able to convey an image of themselves away from passing fashion trends and that’s how I built my strong aesthetic sense. My innate curiosity also led me to explore all kinds of styles and youth fashion trends, from my small hometown to Italy’s larger cities: Milan, Rome, Naples. I slowly became interested in street art, in niche musical genres and train stations, where I spent hours watching people, looking for new inspirations. While growing up – continues Sara – I went to concerts, festivals, graffiti art events, skate contests where future trends were still in an embryonic state. At 18, I moved to Rome to study psychology but my biggest passion was still the fashion. I worked in a clothing store as a buyer (dealing with the purchase of goods for the next season) until one day I was presented with the opportunity to work as an image consultant. Almost like a game, I started this new business alongside personal shopping services and I ultimately ended up in cool hunting. I finally felt I could make use of my skills learned through experience, and so, after having participated in various courses, I decided to enroll in a master’s degree in human resources in order to create myself new training courses. The goal was to raise awareness of these American and British professions in Italy, forming qualified personnel able to kick off creative professions. After 3 years as a trainer and image consultant, I felt the need to move further up in the professionalism ladder, but to do that I needed a university offering a course of study adequate for my needs. After much research, London seemed to offer the best solution with a course in Fashion Marketing, so I left Italy.” Sara, convinced of her decision, defines the British capital “the center of creative economy, alive, pulsating and changing: you certainly will not be bored. For work, London is definitely a city in which you need to roll up your sleeves, but efforts are recognized and rewarded.” Of course Sara initially encountered difficulties: “In England, especially in London, the cost of living is quite high.” Not to mention the language: “I had to take an exam to gain access to my course of study and present a visual-portfolio with a letter of introduction.” Her desire to grow and create is still there, and when asked about her future, Sara answers: “Italy is a wonderful country, rich in history and nature, and I would hope to go back, but – she adds with a smile – not before retirement.”