The funniest part about this whole quarter zip and matcha thing to me is that I've personally been wearing them for my entire life, and my friends are finally realizing that I've been on this trend before everyone started copying me (minus the Matcha part). While it genuinely seems like the movement just fell out of the sky, like most trends, that's not the full story. It's time to decipher social media's hottest trend and find out why people are throwing away their Nike Techs.

The Backstory

In early November, Jason Gyamfi, a Bronx native who recently graduated from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania, posted a video on TikTok and Instagram with his friend Richard Minor, notably stating, "We don't do Nike Tech, we don't do coffee; it's straight quarter zips and matcha around here." His video quickly blew up across social media platforms, with the original video gaining over 23 million views as of November 29th, 2025. In an interview with Complex, Gyamfi didn't expect to start an entire movement, stating that "I just wanted to wear something that didn't feel like I was overdressing for the occasion, but still made me look presentable."

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Wearing QZs and Drinking Matcha

Gyamfi has everyone on this planet screaming "straight quarter zips and matcha" right now, with many teens, content creators, and celebrities participating in the trend, further pushing the movement. I've also seen many people at my school, including myself, arrive in quarter zips.

While this might just be a "trend," it's encouraging more people to dress more neatly and clean, which is a huge plus. Drinking matcha, on the other hand, promotes a healthier lifestyle, as studies show that the tea can lower blood pressure, improve your concentration, and provide you with anti-inflammatory effects. The Bronx native summed it up perfectly in an interview with ABC 7 New York, emphasizing that "The movement is elevation at the end of the day, when you leave your house, you're the best version of yourself, point blank, period."

The Beef With Nike Tech

At the end of the day, some people are opting to stand by their Nike Techs, with a few content creators even making a whole pledge to the tracksuit. As crazy as that seems, I'm honestly not surprised; not too long ago, Nike Techs used to be a fashion statement back in the early 2020s, primarily gaining dominance in urban US cities like NYC and the UK. The tracksuit was very popular, with celebrities like Central Cee becoming synonymous with Nike Techs.

Nevertheless, like all trends, this one started to die out by late 2023. To put the nail in the coffin, the British rapper, nicknamed "Mr. Nike Tech," joined in on the trend not too long ago. I personally never had the luxury of owning a Nike Tech, and now with this whole quarter zip movement, I don't think I ever will.

Image Credit: 200izo from Wikimedia Commons

Should You Join The QZ Movement?

The quarter zip trend is establishing a more classy and professional standard for teens and young adults, turning the demographic into young gentlemen. Whether or not you should join the QZ is totally up to you, but in my opinion, just try it out for a day--along with matcha. If you like it, then by all means, go all in, but if that's not your cup of tea, then that's totally fine!