Ariel Weber, Trend Hunter (INTERVIEW)

Ariel Weber is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia's political science program, and has a bit of a thing for the holidays, particularly Christmas store fronts. She says that the program she took at university opened her up to a whole new world of current events and a desire to volunteer and help out in her community. In between making the world a better place, she is passionate about the written word, healthy lifestyle activities like yoga, and elephants.

What is your secret to uncovering the best trends?

My secret to finding the best trends is that I usually have some bookmarks of all my favorite blogs and websites. I just scour through all of them.

What is your favorite trend and why?

My favorite trend is fantastical fashion films. A really good example of that is in this video to promote CHANEL's product lines. There's a variety of marionettes, a lot of flight attendants, and a live quartet for its Christmas store fronts. It caught my eye because it's unusual and used a diverse amount of popular advertising strategies. I liked that they engaged with the consumer instead of bland advertising like the kind you'd see on billboards and print advertising. It really catches the eye and stays in people's minds, which is important.

What is your favorite thing about working at Trend Hunter?

My favorite thing about working at Trend Hunter is that I really like the atmosphere, the environment and the people involved. It does feel like a big family almost, and I haven't been here for too long, so that's nice. I like feeling like I'm involved in something...bigger.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

When I was growing up I wanted an interior decorator. I would take the IKEA catalogs and I also had a subscription to House and Home, which is kind of weird for a ten-year-old, and I would carry this book with me of cut and pasted pictures from the magazines of my ideal home.

What inspires you?

What inspires me is people who aren't afraid to be themselves, who are unique, who aren't completely within the mainstream. There's nothing wrong with being mainstream, but I think it's better to embrace your individuality and not be afraid to express that to other people.

Predict something awesome for the year 2020?

An awesome trend I see in the future are GPS shoes. I'm really bad with directions, so this would be a perfect way to never get lost.

Any last thoughts you'd like to say about Trend Hunter?

I would really recommend the Trend Hunter internship. It's a great opportunity for someone like myself who knew nothing about social media. I'm learning a lot!