Move over, tech bros: Swaths of younger Black men are reclaiming the preppy pullover sweater in a trend dubbed the “quarter-zip movement.” While some praise the young men for abandoning their Nike Tech sweatsuits for more professional attire, critics say the trend reeks of respectability politics and exposes racial biases in fashion, particularly for young men of color.

How did the movement start?

The trend kicked off after a TikTok video of two young Black men “bespectacled and sporting navy blue quarter-zip pullovers” with iced matcha in hand went viral. “We don’t do Nike Tech, we don’t do coffee,” said Jason Gyamfi, one of the men in the video, proclaiming it’s “straight quarter-zips and matchas around here.”

As Gen Z matures and begins to “lean into business casual,” the “

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