What do David Beckham, Rishi Sunak and Fendi models have in common? They’re all big fans of a quarter-zipper.
Polo necks with a little zip that runs from neck to chest have become the new status symbol of men of a certain position as they ditch the shirt and tie aesthetic.
John Lewis, which acts as an unofficial British barometer of what the average person is buying, says it has sold 62% more quarter-zips than crewnecks since the start of the year. Among customers a £55 navy cotton version with a silver zip is proving most popular.
At Gant, 10% of sales last December were quarter-zip jumpers. Demand for a ribbed version with two-tone collar continues to be high. On the sidelines, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta wears a quarter zipper under a puffer jacket, while England manager Gareth Southgate ditched his signature navy waistcoat for a neat white knitted zipper from M&S at the 2022 World Cup.
Meanwhile, in London, the Square Mile and Canary Wharf’s tower blocks are peppered with investment bankers in Patagonia quarter zip vests. Even street style favourites such as JW Anderson, Coperni and Stone Island all feature quarter-zippers in their latest collections.
British GQ’s fashion editor Angelo Mitakos says the popularisation of quarter zippers is similar to how Crocs were once reviled but are now worn by stars including Justin Bieber. Mitakos prefers a zip to a crewneck which he says ‘can often feel and look stuffy and dated. The quarter zip feels modern and has more style credentials.’
Recently on Instagram, Beckham endorsed the genre by wearing a £1400 Loro Piana navy baby cashmere version while tossing his pancakes. The unbranded Italian luxury label is a favourite among the 1% who champion the idea of stealth wealth dressing – the act of whispering your wealth rather than flaunting it.
It’s a dressing technique employed by both the Duke of Sussex and Rishi Sunak who regularly wear quarter-zippers over white shirts and jeans. Prince Harry’s jumper of choice is from the British cashmere brand N.Peal (from £345) while Sunak favours Ralph Lauren (from £179).
When the fourth series of Succession drops this month, Logan Roy will no doubt be wearing his grey Loro Piana version.
In Fleishman Is In Trouble, the new TV adaptation of Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s novel which has been greeted with rave reviews, protagonist Toby Fleishman, played by Jesse Eisenberg, wears one for a key New Year’s Eve party.
Usually a fan of polo necks and checked shirts, this act of wealth cosplay reads like an attempt to fit in with the other husbands’ Upper East Side chic.
But in the real world, they also tap into a wider casualisation trend, accelerated by the pandemic but seemingly here to stay. As more and more people try to navigate what workwear looks like in their new half office, half zoom world, it’s not surprising this hybrid top is the preferred option. It’s corporate, casual and sometimes both.
‘A shirt and tie just look stuffy on Zoom whatever the location,’ says the menswear writer Nick Carvell. He compares it to polo shirts and smart sneakers which men in the city frequently wear ‘whether it’s Casual Friday or not’ ‘Perhaps there is an appeal to knowing you don’t have to get up in the morning and iron a dress shirt at 6am – there certainly is for me,’ he adds.
With news that the BBC is set to relax its formal dress code, the quarter zip has the potential to infiltrate wardrobes on a mass level. Last week, Deadline reported that, in an effort to reflect more authentic reporting as it merges its domestic and international news channels, staff have been told to dress down.
Its director of digital, Naja Nielsen, is said to have told staff: “It’s a bit like, be as sweaty and dirty as when we’re in the field is actually more trustworthy than if we look like we’ve just stepped out of an awards ceremony or a fine dinner party.”
Zips first began appearing in the 1930s when the Talon Zipper company mastered the modern zipper. The concept of quarter-zipped fleeces quickly became popular in the sportswear industry as it allowed wearers to self-regulate their temperature by opening and closing the neckline. During the 1970s zips began to appear on jumpers but were mainly reserved for weekend wear.
The streetwear aesthetic has regularly championed quarter zip detailing, but it’s only more recently that it has begun merging a high/low zipped aesthetic. At the 2019 Met Gala, the singer Frank Ocean wore a formal Prada suit with a quarter-zip jacket – purposefully unzipped to reveal a traditional white shirt and black tie underneath. Perhaps food for thought for the BBC as it grapples with its new dress code guidelines.
• The first picture’s caption was amended on 6 March 2023 because an earlier version referred to Rishi Sunak’s home being in the Yorkshire Dales. Sunak’s constituency home is in the North Yorkshire village of Kirby Sigston.
