But, What are Gen Z Boys Wearing in 2025?

and why are they so mysterious about it??

Jun 27, 2025

Around June of last year, I was scrolling on TikTok when a video popped up of 2 boys doing a fit check (a video showing their outfit) and it caused me to pause, because where I live, a small, conservative town - boys do not dress that well. While fashion is subjective, running a fashion account on social media has exposed me to a lot of outfits, and when part of my job is to help young people dress better, I do need to have a good eye for what looks stylish, before I share my take through the form of advice. The boys in the video had on baggy sweaters or hoodies and equally baggy jeans. They would both come into the frame, smile, pull at their jeans, give the audience a thumbs up and then turn around to give the viewer a full 360 on their outfit.

When I clicked to see the comments, a lot of my internal thoughts were shared with the other viewers; “I wish the boys at my school dressed like this”. As I went down the rabbit hole, however, a few key themes emerged: 1) these boys in the video were from Utah 2) Utah boys (and girls) are stylish 3) Gen Z boys care a lot about fashion too (a conclusion I came to when I found a lot more boys doing fit checks online and commenting on where to buy clothes). The majority of my audience on Instagram and Snapchat are female, and while these platforms love to tell me that I have an audience of which 10% are male, finding them was a challenge, and getting them to provide me with substance was even more challenging. Regardless, I did manage to interview 3 Gen Z boys and understand the following:

Where do they dress?
Where do they shop?
How do they think about fashion?

I enjoyed the insights I gained from my fashion survey with primarily Gen Z girls, being one myself, but it was refreshing to understand style, fashion and shopping through the perspective of 3 guys who dress well - because quite frankly I do not get to communicate nearly as much with Gen Z boys in terms of fashion than I do with teenage girls. I hope you find this just as insightful.

OK QUICK disclaimer - 2 of the young men I surveyed gave me NOTHING to work with (God bless them), but I did think it was funny to include and shoutout to my girls who give me SO MUCH CONTEXT. Art imitates life and nonchalance will be the death of me so if you are a girl designing clothes for boys, my hat goes off to you. However, this forced me to be creative and examine content on social media, Reddit forums and the news to closely identify where Gen Z boys are shopping.

So here are the results of the “survey”:

PS: I love you Thiago, thank you for writing lots xx

Where are the boys shopping?

It’s clear to me that Gen Z boys are remixing fashion in their own unapologetic way and drawing influence from TikTok, Pinterest, music artists, and early 2000s nostalgia. Depending on where they live, brands like Hollister, Puma, Urban Outfitters, and American Eagle came out on top, with the appeal still remaining for shopping in malls to try things on in person. Their wardrobes are shaped by a mix of online trends and personal vibes, whether that’s skater-core, streetwear, surfer aesthetics, or full goth. They’re not afraid to thrift, accessorise with rings, or even shop in the women’s section if it means owning their look and I am so here for it.

Standing out also matters more than fitting in. Fashion is self-expression, not conformity. All 3 boys spend between $50–$200 per shop (as you can see from the pie chart is was pretty even) and are currently eyeing cropped plaid shirts, cream hoodies, corsets, and jerseys. Overhyped trends like cartoonish chunky boots, saggy jeans, or public PJ pants? Hard pass. What’s clear is that individuality is the main currency in Gen Z male fashion so I would expect more bold accessories, gender-fluid pieces, and unexpected throwbacks dominating 2025 wardrobes.

They love thrifting and second hand shopping

One thing to note in particular when it comes to young men who can dress well - they like to go to the Goodwill bins AND they probably have a Depop store. Depop and reselling clothes has been around for a while now, and while it is often seen as a girl-dominated platform, boys are also part of the ecosystem, even if they’re less vocal.