This week, we take a look at the rise of the quarter-zip, a trend in menswear that has brands big and small jumping to get on top of it before it passes.
Over the last few weeks, a new trend has overtaken Gen Z menswear. And it’s decidedly business casual.
The humble quarter-zip, once the domain of teachers and young professionals, has made its way to high schools and colleges, becoming widely adopted by young consumers across the country. After several viral videos last month, fashion brands are finally catching up, pitching their own quarter-zips and looking for the best ways to jump on the trend.
But first: What’s so appealing about a quarter-zip? Numerous theories have already been proposed. As the job market collapses, perhaps young people are manifesting the type of business career that seems increasingly difficult to attain. Or perhaps it’s a reaction to the casualization that has overtaken much of fashion in the years since the pandemic.
Evan Marshall is the COO of Black Menswear, a creative agency that has worked with major brands like Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, the NBA and Indochino. He told Glossy that the quarter-zip, which has seen particularly strong adoption among young men of color, can be viewed as a “story of self-definition.” The trend originated with a post by Vincent Gyamfi, who is Black, and has since spread widely among young Black men, as noted by publications like Slate and the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Young Black men are making intentional decisions about how they want to be seen and, more importantly, how they see themselves,” Marshall said. “They’re choosing to show up as professionals, entrepreneurs, creatives and leaders. It’s a subtle but powerful rejection of stereotypes and a statement that they’re writing their own story. The quarter-zip signals a quiet confidence. It shows that a young man is ready for responsibility, ready for structure and ready for growth.”
The quarter-zip trend also coincides with another, related trend: the performative male. Often associated with ostentatious sophistication, the performative male drinks matcha lattes, listens to Clairo and carries a tote bag. In Gyamfi’s original quarter-zip video, he is holding a matcha latte.
Fashion brands have noticed the trend and have rolled out a flurry of quarter-zip-themed styles and promotions in recent weeks. Some were accidental alignments — the Chanel show earlier this month opened with a camel-colored quarter-zip that was certainly designed before the trend emerged.
But others were intentional. The golf and lifestyle brand Sunday Swagger included a quarter-zip in its newly-released collaboration with Dole, for example. CMO Kyle Moloo told Glossy that the trend fit well with Sunday Swagger’s existing aesthetic.
“Quarter-zip shirts are becoming more popular because they effortlessly blend style and comfort,” he said. “They are also versatile and suitable for nearly any occasion, whether on a golf course, at a special party or at a social event.”
On Monday, Barbour, a British brand synonymous with waxed jackets and outerwear but with a strong knitwear business, as well, sent out a PR email to media highlighting its catalog of quarter-zips being a fit for the trend.
Paul Stephen, vp of marketing for Barbour for North America, told Glossy that there was a notable uptick in searches for quarter-zips on Barbour’s homepage in the last few weeks. That, combined with the ongoing social media buzz about the trend, inspired Barbour to highlight the sweaters. Currently, a quarter-zip is featured in Barbour’s gift guide for men on the homepage of its online store.
“Young people always want to take a look that’s rooted in classic, traditional styles and update it,” Stephen said. “The quarter-zip is a way for young people to transition from maybe hoodies and sweatshirts to something more elevated and adult.”
Stephen said it’s important, even when capitalizing on a trend, to highlight how the brand’s products are unique, such as its use of tartan fabrics and prints in its quarter-zips.
Even non-fashion brands are getting in on the quarter-zip trend. Wendy’s is offering, through December 14, a “Quarter Sip” promotion, offering soft drinks for 25 cents. Meanwhile, the insurance company State Farm partnered with Jason Gyamfi, the young man whose original post on TikTok about quarter-zips helped kickstart the trend. In a video posted by State Farm on Wednesday, Gyamfi encourages State Farm’s mascot, “Jake from State Farm,” to ditch his signature red polo shirt for a quarter-zip.
There’s a real business opportunity around trends like this. Google Trends shows an over 2,000% increase in searches for quarter-zips for men over the last 12 months.
One unexpected complication around the whole trend is the nomenclature, Stephen said. The Google Trends data shows it written as “1/4 Zip,” but some brands spell out quarter-zip. Some write it with a hyphen, others without.
“In our own global design language, we actually call it a half-zip,” Stephen said.
Stat of the week
97% That’s how much of its value a handbag from The Row maintains on the resale market, according to the 2025 Clair Report from Rebag, released on Wednesday.
That puts The Row into what Rebag calls “unicorn status,” joining the likes of other major brands like Miu Miu as being good investments that will hold up in the shifting landscape of luxury handbag resale. Other interesting stats from the report include Hermès bags surging in value by 92% in the last decade, making them the most valuable brand on the resale market.
News to know
- Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams will co-chair the 2026 Met Gala, set for May 4 of next year. The theme will be “costume art.”
- Warby Parker and Google are planning to launch their own AI-powered smart glasses in 2026, in competition with Meta’s ongoing partnership with Ray-Ban.
- Following the CFDA’s announcement last week that it will ban fur from future New York Fashion Weeks, Hearst Magazines announced this week that it, too, would ban fur in future issues of all of its magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar, Elle and Town & Country. Hearst competitor Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue, announced a similar ban in October.
