Lidewij Edelkoort, often called Li, (born 1950, Wageningen) is a Dutch trend forecaster, someone who anticipates future fashion trends. [1]
Edelkoort started her career as a fashion coordinator at department store De Bijenkorf.[2] In 1975 she relocated to France where she set up as an independent trend consultant. Soon she created the consultancy Trend Union a trend forecasting service based in Paris.[3] [4] Trend Union provides the design community with colour and lifestyle information published bi-annually.[5] She is head of Trend Union], Edelkoort ETC, Studio Edelkoort, Edelkoort Exhibitions and also president of the American consulting corporation Edelkoort Inc, with offices in Paris, New York and Tokyo.
She has helped to shape products for international brands, advising on product identity and development strategy. Her clients have included Coca-Cola, Nissan, Camper, Siemens, Moooi, and Douwe Egberts.[2]
In the beauty industry, Studio Edelkoort's has developed concepts and beauty products for Estée Lauder, Lancôme, L'Oréal, Shiseido, Dim, and Gucci.[2]
She is the art director and co-publisher of the magazine View on Colour.[6] This looks at trends in colour taste with a view to their influence on fashion, graphics, industrial design, packaging, cosmetics and many other areas. She is also publisher of Interior View magazine.[5]
She launched the photo-magazine Bloom in 1998, which she describes as "horti-cultural" because it charts the changing trends in flowers and the way their images are used.[7]
In 1999 she was elected Chairwoman of the Design Academy, Eindhoven, Netherlands.[8]
She is involved in the non profit humanitarian organization Heartwear which helps third world producers market their goods in the west through a mail order catalogue. The profits return to the producers' communities.[8]
The British design magazine i-D listed her among the world's 40 most important designers and Time magazine named her one of the 25 most influential fashion experts of our day.[9]
On 22 February 2008 on behalf of the French Minister of Culture Didier Grumbach, President of the French Fédération de la Couture, honoured Lidewij Edelkoort by awarding her Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of her artistic and literary creative contribution to culture in France and internationally.[3]
Li Edelkoort, received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Art from the United Kingdom's Nottingham Trent University, at the university's awards ceremony on July 15, 2008. [10]
She lives between Paris, Normandy, Amsterdam and New York, USA. [1]