2022 has been punctuated by some wild male fashion choices, creating one of the largest, and most exciting, cultural resets in decades. We found ourselves presented with backless halter tops [thank you Timothée Chalamet], singlets as formal wear [thank you Chris Evans] and bare chests under suits slash general shirtlessness [thank you Lil Nas X]. It has been a refreshing and welcome change to the stuffy norms, bringing an overdue air of excitement to male fashion for pundits around the globe and creating space for creativity and expression. And with so much happening in the world of male fashion at such a rapid pace, undershirt brand Underfit recently conducted an audit on the biggest male style trends for 2022, looking at Google search data and Instagram metrics to identify the biggest male fashion brands, as well as the biggest trends and the biggest male fashion influencers across the globe.
The biggest male fashion trends of 2022
Chelsea boots are the biggest male fashion trend of 2022, with a trend score of 9.85 generating a whopping 8 million global searches on Google and 473,000 hashtags on Instagram. Chelsea boots have design features that make them unmistakable and versatile with any outfit.
With coronavirus and work-from-home trends prioritizing cozy fashion for almost two years, men’s fleeces have finally become a well-deserved fashion trend in 2022. With over 2 million annual searches and almost 900,000 hashtags on Instagram, fleeces are here to stay. Fleeces keep you warm during chilly weather or comfy during any day at home. Plus they just look f-ing cool.
The sweater with no sleeves, vests are the third biggest men’s fashion trend of 2022 with a trend score of 9.09. Vests saw almost 6 million searches on Google over the last year and occupy 187,000 hashtags on Instagram. Over recent years, sweater vests have become a well-known fashion staple for all genders.
The complete list of the top ten biggest male style trends of 2022 are compiled below, with trends from 2021 still going strong into the back half of 2022 (we see you and appreciate you, varsity jackets).
| Rank | Trend | Annual Global Searches | Instagram Hashtags | Trend Score |
| 1 | Chelsea Boots | 8,252,000 | 473,061 | 9.85 |
| 2 | Fleece | 2,919,000 | 893,564 | 9.40 |
| 3 | Vests | 5,900,000 | 187,759 | 9.09 |
| 4 | Varsity Jackets | 7,463,000 | 70,467 | 8.64 |
| 5 | Pinstripes | 2,109,000 | 164,535 | 8.49 |
| 6 | Leather | 2,907,000 | 158,570 | 8.48 |
| 7 | Balaclavas | 7,859,000 | 14,822 | 8.34 |
| 8 | Silk Scarves | 711,500 | 223,675 | 8.33 |
| 9 | Bermuda Shorts | 1,576,500 | 52,698 | 7.73 |
| 10 | Floral Top | 269,800 | 130,939 | 6.82 |
Further findings
- The most common male fashion brand on Google is Converse, the most-searched-for male fashion brand in 20 countries around the world. In close second is Tommy Hilfiger, the biggest male fashion brand in 19 countries.
- Italian blogger, actor and fashion designer Mariano di Vaio is the biggest male fashion influencer in the world, with 6.7 million followers (plus one after research on this article) and an average of over 84,000 likes per post.