SCOUT was founded in 1999 by renowned UK fashion and design guru, Tony Bannister. SCOUT began as a boutique consultancy that specialized in advising major fashion retailers during product development and re-branding exercises. Powered by Tony's passion for fashion, and engineered by a 20+ year career which saw him work as a Designer, Design Manager, Product Manager and Creative Director for leading brands and fashion agencies in Australia, UK and the USA, word about SCOUT traveled swiftly. It quickly established a name for itself as a leader in the field of trend research. In 2003, Tony and SCOUT shifted another gear by branching out and developing a dynamic new arm of the business: a Color and Trend forecasting service — the first of its kind in Australia. Today, SCOUT is a thriving, cutting-edge trend agency that works both online and through publications across 7 key forecasting areas: Fashion, Casualwear, Retail, Color, Merchandising, Access! ories, and Consumer Trends. SCOUT also consults with clients one-on-one, thanks to a non-stop stream of intelligence via a network of international SCOUTS. It reports on emerging trends as they are happening in Australia, New York, Tokyo, Milan, London, Paris and other hot spots around the world, from which it produces a unique range of seasonal trend reports and an electronic, themed monthly newsletter. www.scout.com.au