Two men sit across a table from each other. Between them are a chessboard and two cups of matcha. In the background, big band music plays.

The man playing the white pieces has a black Ralph Lauren quarter-zip, while the one playing the black pieces has a camel-colored, cable knit version, similarly adorned with the ubiquitous pony. White wins, to the chagrin of his opponent.

The video, labeled “How dudes start moving when they get a quarter zip,” jump cuts to the pair considering the book “Thinking and Getting Rich.”

The short, posted Nov. 19 on TikTok by Theo Wisseh, is a representative sample of a new trend in the “performative male” universe – and it comes with a zipper.

Some young adult men have taken to quarter-zip sweaters, resulting in a social media sensation as well as meet-ups and celebrations nationwide. The sweater has become a symbol of Gen-Z and late-millennial aspiration, with singer and rapper T-Pain posting a photo of himself to Instagram in the sweater style with the caption: “401k and a quarter zip.”

But people engaged with the quarter-zip’s popularity say it goes beyond just trends and clothes — it’s a lifestyle that reflects a commitment to sophistication.

“What started as one simple video about switching from Nike Techs to quarter zips has turned into something way bigger than I ever imagined,” Jason Gymafi, whose Nov. 5 TikTok video launched the so-called “Quarter Zip Movement,” wrote in a Dec. 10 LinkedIn post.

Quarter-zip gains internet popularity

Gymafi’s quarter-zip video, where he and friend Richard Minor are seen wearing the sweaters and swirling matcha drinks, amassed nearly 30 million views as of Dec. 15.

“We don’t do Nike tech, we don’t do coffee, it’s straight quarter zips and matcha round here,” Gymafi says. “He (Minor) was talking about some putting on a Nike tech to come outside, I told him, what are you doing? We’ve upgraded in life, we wear glasses now, we wear quarter zips now.”

In another TikTok video where Gymafi declares he’s “a quarter-zip dude now”, he describes how the garment means he’s elegant and classy. “You could take me somewhere,” he added. “I look presentable.”

While the movement might have started with Gymafi, it’s since taken on a life of its own. Videos posted on TikTok and other social media platforms show everyone from young boys to influencers to the New York Giants’ Jameis Winston getting in on the trend, the quarterback leaning against a glass window while drinking a beverage resembling coffee.

The movement parallels the recent, often ironic trend of being a “performative male,” which sees men attempting to seem intellectual and emotionally mature, signaled through the cups of matcha they carry around alongside feminist literature.

Businesses have also jumped in on the action. Most recently, fast food chain Wendy’s started offering a “Quarter Sip” deal, during which customers can order a 25-cent soft drink of any size when making a purchase when using an offer found in Wendy’s app.

Quarter-zips communicate aspirations

Using clothes to signify an improved place in society is a practice that has long existed.

“There is a long history people who have felt marginalized from certain spaces and they dress a certain way to fit in and that’s true of everything from the suit to taking on certain clothes to communicate certain things,” Derek Guy, menswear writer at large, told USA TODAY. “I suppose the quarter-zip fits that.”

Chicago Fashion Coalition President Marquan Jones argues that the incorporation of the quarter-zip into the Black fashion milieu continues a tradition that spans from Civil Rights leadership to backpack rappers of the early 2000s.

“There is a long tradition of Black men taking symbols of elite spaces and repurposing them, sometimes just to be humorous, but sometimes [to express] identity and sometimes for defiance,” he told the Chicago Sun Times. “We take something that wasn’t meant for us, and we make it ours, and we make it even more relevant and cool.”

Both Guy and Jones expressed that clothes, as the latter put it: “should never determine the dignity that you’re owed.”

In a Nov. 23 interview with ABC News, Gyamfi emphasized that “the man makes the clothes, the clothes do not make the man,” adding that it’s important for young men to recognize the distinct feel and look tied to certain pieces of clothing.

“You’re not used to seeing people drinking matchas and wearing quarter-zips coming where I come from as a young Ghanian man from The Bronx,” he added. “Just expand your horizons in this life.”

USA TODAY reached out to Gymafi to be interviewed for this story. He declined.

Quarter-zip enthusiasts host meet-ups across the country

The movement has also expanded from online to in-person. Organized events are happening across the U.S. for quarter-zip enthusiasts to meet and celebrate not only the article of clothing, but also the lifestyle now associated with it. In Houston, two events drew over 70 people each, organizer and influencer Kenneth Odigbo told USA TODAY.

Odigbo was inspired by Gymafi’s video to make his own event, Houston locals could attend, during which he served matcha, and the men took pictures. The meet-up was “a bunch of fun,” he said.

“I just did it because it’s just nice to see a lot of the younger folks dressing classy and trying to embrace a classier lifestyle, whether it’s a trend or not,” Odigbo said, adding that people chatted and shared their LinkedIn information with each other.

‘It’s a lifestyle, it’s not even a trend’

He doesn’t see it ending anytime soon.

“It’s a lifestyle, it’s not even a trend,” Odigbo said. “…Everybody I met said they feel good wearing it, the adults that were there they were like y’all look good, y’all look handsome, so I think a lot of people are going to continue dressing that way.”

In the Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago’s south side, a meet-up organized by seven young entrepreneurs earlier this month drew close to a hundred people to two local businesses — including Mayor Brandon Johnson — all decked out in quarter-zips of different styles and colors.

Corey Phillips, a senior at North Central College and one of six organizers of the event, told USA TODAY that the meet-up was to support local businesses but also create a space of positivity and connection for young men, anchored in the quarter-zip movement.

“It was just very, very lively, like people from all parts of the city, all parts of the community just supporting each other,” Phillips said. “Just strong positivity because I know oftentimes, I see a lot of young people only doing things that are negative, but showing that we can be better together as well as doing great within our community.”

Attendees were able to mingle and talk with one another, he said. People are already wondering when the next, similar event is coming, which he and the other organizers are planning, Phillips added. Overall, he hopes this meet-up, and future ones, can serve as an example of how young people can be strong and positive role models.

“When people see something like this, they want to be a part of something great,” Phillips said. “I think it’s cool that was a trend, but I think this event really meant more in terms of people coming together, being in a positive space where they can grow.”

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on Twitter @katecperez_.

James Powel covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach him at JPowel@usatodayco.com.