Here’s why Gen Z is obsessed with the humble quarter zip

It’s long been the uniform of management consultants and finance bros, but now the humble quarter zip is being embraced by a rather unexpected demographic.

​​Over the past few weeks, FYPs have become dominated by the workwear staple. Young men who previously might’ve been seen exclusively in Nike Tech, have now traded them in for quarter zip sweaters. Across social media, they are sharing styling tips and hosting meetups at malls, all clad in business-casual. 

The trend gained widespread attention when, in early November, TikToker @whois.jason shared a video of himself sipping a matcha (the beverage of choice for the ‘performative male’) with a friend. Both are wearing quarter zip sweaters. 

“We don’t do Nike Tech, we don’t do coffee. It’s straight quarter zips and matchas around here,” he says in the clip. “We upgraded in life; we wear glasses now.”

Since it was posted, the clip has gained over 25 million views. “No more DMs we on outlook and teams,” one comment read. Another wrote: “We on linkedin not instagram.”

The hashtag #quarterzip currently has over 55,000 posts on TikTok. There’s T-Pain in Louis Vuitton talking about “401k and a quarter zip.” Rapper Central Cee hung up his customary Nike Tech fleece for a cream Ralph Lauren one. “Nike tech’s most loyal person just switched up,” one comment read on his TikTok post.

The basketball video game NBA 2K account announced the addition of quarter zips to 2K26 last week, not long after the topic started trending on TikTok. Even brands are jumping on, a sure sign as any that a trend has run its course. 

Some say the co-option of quarter zips signals a vibe shift that goes beyond fashion. Fortune calls it “a subtle signal of ambition and adaptation in a job market that feels almost insurmountably tough for many young adults today.” The New York Times described the shift as “​​an aesthetic pivot toward the expectations of the professional world.”

It’s true, the quarter zip has long been a signal of soft professionalism. If a LinkedIn connection was an item of clothing, it would be the quarter zip (perhaps under a fleece vest to complete the uniform). Others have connected the trend to the history of Black dandyism, a cultural movement and fashion style intended to subvert racial stereotypes, inspiring last year’s Met Gala theme. 

While the lifecyle of a TikTok trend is often no more than a few days or weeks at most, retail data shows a 25% sales rise for quarter zips among 18- to 24-year-olds since mid-2024. Google Trends shows a 2,250% increase in searches for “1/4 zip pullover men’s business casual” over the past 12 months.   

Has anyone checked in on the finance bros?

View the full article