Samuel, 27, only started paying attention to fashion during the pandemic after spending more time on TikTok. Before that, working in finance and socialising in fairly uniform circles, fashion had never really crossed his mind. But these days, he’s a regular listener of the Throwing Fits podcast and spends hours each week online asking for advice and figuring out what works for him.
As menswear shifts from logo-heavy streetwear toward something more refined and personal, many men are finding themselves at a crossroads. “There’s a growing fashion-consciousness amongst men,” says Katie Devlin, fashion trends editor at Stylus. “But as styles mature, it’s become trickier to know where to begin.”
For an increasing number of men like Samuel, the answer is Reddit. Once a niche corner of the internet, Reddit is now a trusted tool for fashion discovery, especially among men. “Reddit plays a growing role in how customers do their research,” says Lazer, founder of communications and creative firm Nobo Agency, who works with brands like Bape and Hugo. “It’s where they validate drops, check resale value or just find out if something is worth copping.”
Whether users are looking for fit advice or the cultural context behind collabs, spaces like r/gorpcore and r/japanesestreetwear offer peer-led insights that feel far more authentic than polished influencer content. “It’s a place for real opinions,” adds Lazer, who’s used Reddit to track cultural buzz for projects with Bape and artist Slawn.
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This behaviour isn’t fringe. “Seventy-one per cent of people in the UK who discovered a product anywhere on the internet at some point went to Reddit to further validate what they’re finding elsewhere,” says Reddit insights lead Lore Oxford, citing a January 2025 Reddit-commissioned survey of 12,000 US monthly social media users aged 18-65. That validation process is especially appealing to men, who make up roughly 60 per cent of Reddit’s global user base, according to recent Reddit data. What’s more, over the past year, the men’s fashion interest group alone racked up 7.7 billion views — a 28.6 per cent increase year-over-year.
With the rise of new software aimed at tracking these conversations, brands now have a unique opportunity: to tune in, decode the discourse and meet male consumers where they already are.
Why men are turning to Reddit
In a landscape flooded with influencer content and algorithmically generated suggestions, Reddit offers something that feels rare: real human input. “There is so much information out there across so many platforms – but simultaneously, there’s a lot of misinformation,” says Oxford. “People are looking for more human waypoints in this information ecosystem.”
For a lot of men, Reddit provides exactly that. Unlike platforms like Instagram and TikTok — where trend cycles move fast and content often feel performative — Reddit’s value lies in its sincerity and slowness. “It’s a platform that rewards knowledge-sharing and collective discussion,” says Annie Corser, senior pop culture and media trends editor at Stylus. “That ‘town hall’ model may be especially attractive to men, who may — because of today’s social norms — be less comfortable with the candid, often theatrical tone of other social platforms. Reddit allows for ego-free learning and curiosity without public performativity.”
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This dynamic may, by extension, explain why men gravitate toward Reddit more generally: it’s a judgement-free space to seek advice, swap tips and explore interests — and along the way, many also end up diving into style and fashion discussions.
As a result, fashion-focused subreddits like r/malefashionadvice and r/bigmalefashionadvice have become essential spaces. “They’re advice communities,” says Oxford. “They’re for people who don’t really know where to start. And the pseudonymity of Reddit is key — it allows men to ask vulnerable questions, openly, without feeling self-conscious.” That openness has helped fuel explosive growth: r/malefashionadvice drew 498 million views over the past year, up 175 per cent year-over-year, while r/bigmenfashionadvice climbed to 44 million views — a 309 per cent surge.
Reddit is also proving useful throughout the entire shopping journey — from discovery to purchase and even resale. Niche communities like r/RunningShoeGeeks and r/ManyBaggers foster deep discussion around authenticity and value. “These spaces aren’t just reacting to trends — they’re often ahead of them,” says Oxford. “They’ve existed for years and offer product comparisons, resale tips, and longform conversations about why certain styles are resonating now.”
How can brands tap in?
Reddit is often overlooked by brands because it carries a somewhat mixed public reputation, with some historically associating it with niche or fringe subcultures, including certain “incel” communities (men who forge a sense of identity around their perceived inability to form sexual or romantic relationships, often leading to misogyny). Moreover, some of these emerging fashion communities live within what s known as “dark social”, which is the part of the internet where conversations happen out of plain sight. Unlike platforms like Instagram or TikTok, where content is discoverable through hashtags and driven by algorithmic trends that create a kind of monoculture ‘For You Page’ experience, Reddit operates very differently.
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“One of the biggest misconceptions about Reddit is that people don’t want brands here. Where else are you going to find a whole subreddit dedicated to Uniqlo with people volunteering to mod these communities in their spare time because they love them so much,” Oxford says.
Still, they must show up in the right way.
Reddit’s value lies in siloed, topic-driven communities (subreddits), where users gather around shared interests. Conversations are authentic and rarely driven by influencers, but because posts aren’t easily tracked via public hashtags – and content circulates through deep-linking or internal cross-posting – it’s much harder to monitor without purpose-built tools. To tackle this, in June 2025 Reddit launched Community Intelligence and Insights, an AI-powered platform that analyses its discussion data to surface trends and audience sentiment.
New Balance tapped into this for the UK launch of its Fresh Foam sneaker. Working with media planning and buying agency Mediahub, the brand targeted Reddit’s highly engaged men’s running communities using conversation placements, category takeovers, in-feed video and carousel ads. This full-funnel media mix allowed the brand to speak directly to both casual joggers and dedicated runners inside niche subreddits at scale. According to Reddit, the campaign drove a 52 per cent lift in ad awareness — above typical benchmarks.
Adidas also connected with Reddit’s user base through a campaign centered on technical storytelling. It took over relevant communities with an expert-led AMA (Ask Me Anything) featuring Stephan Scholten, global director of footwear at Adidas. This activation showcased the design and construction of the new 4DFWD shoe — highlighting its innovative materials and performance benefits. By tapping into Redditors’ preference for substance over hype, the campaign resonated with both sneaker enthusiasts and performance-driven athletes. It boosted awareness of the Adidas 4DFWD among male Redditors by 31 per cent, according to the platform.
The key is to provide value at the stage where Reddit is strongest: the research and decision-making phase of the shopping funnel. “If you’re a menswear brand, you could be part of conversations around the best white T-shirts or low-profile trainers,” says Stylus’s Corser.
“Positioned correctly, a brand can become an integral part of a Reddit-shaped shopping journey.”
There’s growing potential for luxury brands too, particularly in categories like watches, tailoring and designer fashion — each with dedicated, passionate subreddits where users actively seek recommendations and share in-depth knowledge, says Lore.
For brands unsure where to begin, Oxford recommends a low-lift, insight-led approach. “There’s a myth that you need a dedicated Reddit community manager or to dive headfirst into organic engagement,” she says. “But you can start small. Use Reddit Pro to see where your brand is being discussed and by whom, so you can shape your strategy. Repurpose existing content. Test a few headlines in Reddit’s native tone. It’s about learning the language of the platform before speaking it fluently.”
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