Why Black Teens Are Making Quarter Zips Their Signature Style

The quarter zip trend that’s blowing up online is more than just a style flex. For a growing number of young Black men, it’s become a deliberate shift in identity. It all started earlier this month when TikToker Jason Gyamfi posted a now viral video announcing, “We don’t do Nike Techs and coffee no more. It’s straight quarter zips and matchas around here.” In the clip, he and a friend rock quarter-zip sweaters, sip matcha, and toast to this new version of themselves: calm, classy, and upgraded.

Since Gyamfi’s original post, the trend has exploded. TikTok is flooded with “life upgrade” skits showing young men trading in their Nike Tech fleece hoodies for quarter-zip sweaters, glasses, and sipping matcha instead of coffee. According to Complex, sales of quarter zips among 18 to 24-year-olds are up about 25% since mid-2024, and searches for business-casual quarter-zip pullovers have skyrocketed.

It isn’t just a fashion trend, though. Social media users are framing it as a lifestyle movement. Many see quarter zips as armor for a difficult job market, a small way to “fake it ’til you make it” if you will. For many young Black men, it’s about more than looking polished; it’s a symbol of future success, ambition, and maturity. Some on social media say that the trend gives them a sense of dignity and discipline, while others call it tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at them for being “white people’s clothes.”

The quarter zip movement has even made its way off-screen and into real life. Meet-ups have begun popping up, like in Houston’s CityCentre, where young men showed up in matching quarter-zips, shared matcha, and made TikToks while building community. There’s a shared energy. It’s not just about dressing differently; it’s about feeling different. For this generation, the sweater is a quiet statement: ambition expressed without brashness, self-respect over streetwear hype.

See TikTok users embracing the preppy vibe below.