Tiktok’s “Quarter Zip Trend” Is Sparking Conversations About Respectability Politics

Every other decade, a group of cool kids band together and decide that a certain trend is cool. While some of the trends can be hits, others fade away nearly as quickly as they came. Then, there are those trends that stick in the zeitgeist long enough for some to not even recall how they became popular in the first place.

One fashion trend among the youth circulated on TikTok in November 2025. The trend forces young men to rethink their attire and how it represents the message they want to send out into the world. Through the app's "quarter zip trend," many Black men are trading in clothes that formerly made them comfortable for a more distinguished look.

Let's get into the quarter zip trend infiltrating TikTok.

Changing up your look can be the first step to changing your life, and young Black men on TikTok are discovering this through the quarter zip trend. The trend was introduced to the platform in November 2025 thanks to TikToker Jason Gyamfi (@whois.jason).

In a Nov. 5, 2025 video, Jason and a friend shared they were no longer wearing Nike tech sweatsuits and drinking coffee and were instead exclusively wearing quarter zip sweaters, hoodless sweaters with a zipper that stops a quarter way through the jacket, and drinking matcha instead of coffee.

"We don't do Nike tech," Jason shared in the TikTok. "We don't do coffee. It's straight quarter zips and matchas around here. He was talking about wearing a Nike tech to come outside, I said 'what are you doing?' we wear quarter zips and wear glasses now."

Jason also posted a video by himself on Nov. 3 where he declared he was officially a "quarter zip dude" and was officially retiring all of the clothes that no longer fit his aesthetic.

"I don't do that Nike tech stuff, what y'all little boys do," he said in the video. "I can't do that. I'm elegant. I'm classy."

Soon after Jason's video circulated, many more men decided he was onto something. Within the next few weeks, the video's audio was shared by thousands of male users who flaunted their quarter zip sweaters with or without matcha. Several users showed the differences in their style from transforming from a "YN" aka a "young n---a," to becoming a quarter zip guy. While most people had fun with the trend, others didn't find it as funny or cute.

In several TikToks, some users bashed the trend, stating that quarter zips weren't made for Black people, while others stated that Black people should add some quarter zip sweaters to their closets to appear more "professional" in public than they would if they wore Nike techs or other clothing items stereotypically catered to Black people. Both arguments were discussed by other TikTok users who felt those supporting the quarter zip trend were feeding into stereotypes that are sometimes put on Black men.

While the trend is both funny and controversial, since many Black men have worn quarter zips in the past, it appears the trend is here to stay... for now.