tech
December 29, 2025
Why the quarter-zip trend is about much more than jumpers
Young men swapping Nike Tech fleeces for quarter-zips are all over TikTok, as well as staging IRL meetups worldwide. What’s behind the growing movement centring a once unremarkable garment?
TL;DR
- A TikTok trend centered around quarter-zip jumpers and matcha lattes has led to meetups in various cities, including London.
- The trend is seen as a rejection of stereotypes associated with Nike Tech fleece, which is often linked to criminality and specific demographics.
- Quarter-zips are being adopted to signify professionalism, maturity, and a desire to defy racial stereotypes.
- The trend is influenced by the casualization of office wear and the performative male phenomenon, where adopting traditionally feminine interests aims to attract progressive partners.
- The quarter-zip symbolizes social mobility and an aspirational masculinity, offering a counter-narrative to economic anxieties and heteropessimism.
- Critics point out that clothing trends can perpetuate respectability politics, potentially overshadowing the role of race and systemic biases.
- The perception of a garment like a quarter-zip can vary greatly depending on the wearer and the context.
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