You may have seen this new wave crash through your TikTok feed: the “we don’t do Nike Tech or coffee—it’s straight quarter zips, and matcha around here” trend. It started in early November and quickly blew up after a viral video by a group of young Black creators who took a simple joke and popularized it. The movement went from “haha, cute trend” to “wait, everyone’s actually doing this?” in what felt like 48 hours. And then, of course, because this is New Jersey, it went full Garden State with a statewide meetup at the American Dream mall on November 25, at 5 p.m. Yes. Statewide. Only for quarter zips and matcha.
If you’re wondering why your TikTok For You Page is suddenly full of people refusing to touch a Nike Tech with a ten-foot pole, or why half your school is walking around in something your dad wears to Sunday brunch, welcome to the party. The matcha-sipping, quarter-zips-rocking, country-club aesthetic has arrived, and apparently, it’s here to save us from…ourselves.
On TikTok, creators joke that Nike Tech represents the “old era”—chaotic, lazy, and unserious. On the other hand, quarter zips symbolize discipline, productivity, and maturity. Regardless of whether that’s true or not, the matter is up for debate: the message has been sent loud and clear that presentation matters.
This trend has been going on for quite some time now, but will there ever be an end to it? A Tenafly High School student had thoughts on the matter—strong thoughts, actually.
“I think the trend is going to last two-months,” Joel Revesz (’29) said. Revesz, for the record, did not attend the New Jersey Quarter Zip Club meetup at American Dream mall at 5 p.m.
“I did not partake,” he adds firmly, like someone denying involvement in a minor crime. “I’m not a matcha guy, I don’t understand the hate, I just don’t think it has much flavor, it tastes like grass. Quarters zips are very versatile because you can wear them on occasion, you can wear them if you’re trying to dress up or down. You can also go dress shirts with polo or t-shirts. So it’s a very versatile piece of clothing.”
He keeps it real, though: “I still prefer coffee over matcha.”
Many high school students and staff have caught onto the trend, while others feel like they were ahead of it long before TikTok decided it was cool.
Aditya Goswami (’26) had a totally different prediction.
“The trend is going to last a year or two,” Goswami said. “I have participated, and I’m a HUGE matcha guy.” For him, the trend is more than just a phase—it’s a lifestyle switch.
Even teachers are in on the conversation.
“I’ve been a quarter-zip wearer for many years,” Gary Whitehead, a THS English and Journalism teacher, shared. “I’m way ahead of the trend!”
Whether driven by TikTok or long-standing personal style, the popularity of quarter-zips across both students and teachers signals a shift in how casual fashion is being defined.
If you zoom out from the TikTok chaos for a second, the quarter-zip trend actually makes a weird kind of sense. According to social media analysts (and by analysts, I mean teenagers with ring lights), this whole movement is really just Gen Z’s attempt to “elevate” the casual look. Think this: swapping sweatpants for something that suggests you might actually own a clothing planner. It’s preppy, but ironically so. Cozy, but intentionally cozy. A fashion statement that whispers beyond.
Every aesthetic needs a signature accessory which is where the matcha comes in. Iced matcha, tall, cold, preferably in a clear cup, has become just as essential to the look as the quarter-zip itself. At this point, the drink is half the outfit.
And yes, somewhere along the way, people unironically started calling it the “New Jersey Quarter Zip Club,” because apparently, everything becomes a club in this state if enough people show up in the same outfit.
The real question is what this means for the once-beloved Nike Tech. It was once the unofficial uniform for teens everywhere. Nike Tech is now being treated like that one ex everyone swears they’re over with but secretly keeps in their closet “just in case.” But for now, Nike Tech is benched. Quarter zips are the new starting lineup.
Since Nike Techs are out and quarter zips are in, the new fashion statement is definitely making a mark, whether you love it, hate it, or simply enjoy watching everyone argue about it in the comments.
So, how long do you think this trend will last? Will the quarter-zip takeover be a brief fall-winter fling, or are we entering a full-blown preppy era? Only time (and TikTok attention span) will tell.
But until the pendulum swings back, remember: it’s matcha at 5 p.m. Don’t be late.
