K-HOLE was a trend forecasting artist collective founded by Greg Fong, Sean Monahan, Chris Sherron, Emily Segal, and Dena Yago. The group operated between 2011 and 2016 and was based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Reports

K-HOLE has issued five trend forecasting reports. Each report is in the style of a consumer trend forecasting report and reproduced for free as a .pdf file. The first trend forecasting report, "K-HOLE #1: Fragmoretation: A Report on Visibility" was released in 2011 at and was made available via 100 rubber Livestrong-style bracelet USB drives as well as online. The second, "K-HOLE #2: Prolasticity: A Report on Patience,” launched at MoMA PS1 and was distributed on USB dog tag necklaces. The third report, "K-HOLE #3: The K-HOLEBrand Anxiety Matrix" surveyed case studies on Isabel Marant at Internal Wedge Sneakers, Globster, the antisocial networking, deodorant aka Stankonia, and reproduction hacks with the Mirena IUD. In 2013, K-HOLE published, "Youth Mode: A Report On Freedom," as part of the 89plus marathon at the Serpentine Gallery in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The report was made produced alongside Box 1824, a research organization based in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

. The report addressed the use of generational branding, such as the mass marketable appeal of the hipster as outsider, even though the hipster was fashionable at the time. K-HOLE offered alternative sensibilities, like Normcore, the adaptability to socialize between various social groups and niche consumers. Soon after the report's release, the term

Normcore Normcore is a unisex fashion trend characterized by unpretentious, average-looking clothing. Normcore fashion includes jeans, t-shirts, sweats, button-downs, and sneakers. History The word "normcore" first appeared in a 2008 guest strip by Ryan ...

went viral. It was rendered into a fashion term that corresponded with basic t-shirts, washed out jeans, white

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

sneakers, amongst other markers. In 2015, K-HOLE released its fifth report, “K-HOLE #5: A Report on Doubt,” which focused on the use of chaos magic and positive thinking. Though K-HOLE is now largely inactive, some of its members went on to be founding members of Are.na. It is a research tool and social network.

Brand consulting

K-HOLE has done brand consulting for

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, Kickstarter, MTV, and the

New Museum The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a museum in New York City at 235 Bowery, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. History The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-named New Sch ...

, alongside Ryan Trecartin, for the triennial "Surround Audience."

References

American artist groups and collectives Consulting firms established in 2010 Consulting firms disestablished in 2016 Defunct organizations based in New York City 2010 establishments in New York City 2016 disestablishments in New York (state) {{US-company-stub