Arteta, Sunak and WFH: How the quarter-zip took over the City

It has become ubiquitous – from fintech marketing teams to the corner corporate office. And the quarter-zip fleece, the new must-have for any man about town, doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon.

Last week the Walbrook, the City of London’s prestigious membership club, ditched its ‘mandatory jackets’ rule – though did say it was still ‘recommended’ for gents.

Male members of the club, which sits next to St Stephen’s of Walbrook just behind Mansion House, will be able to enjoy the facilities as long as they’re wearing a collared shirt. 

In a note to members, the club said that it was “ahead of most others when it discarded ties” some years ago and that “the days of draping improperly attired guests in cartoonishly oversized jackets have also probably vanished.” 

The club, which from its inception in 2000 was open to both genders, will require women only to wear ‘business attire.’ 

Relaxing the dress code in the City of London stems from being a favoured weapon amongst bosses attempting to corral their scattered staff who cling to working from home

Walbrook Club managing director Philip Palumbo

The move frees up members to don the new City uniform: the quarter-zip fleece, sales of which are up 62 per cent at John Lewis this year. 

Managing director Philip Palumbo told City A.M. last night that “even before the pandemic sartorial standards were beginning to unbutton.

“But since, relaxing the dress code in the City of London stems from being a favoured weapon amongst bosses attempting to corral their scattered staff who cling to WFH.”

As staff have returned post-pandemic, Square Mile workers are reserving suits only for “big days,” Charles Tyrwhitt founder Nick Wheeler told City A.M. earlier this year. The Office for National Statistics has even taken the suit out of the ‘basket’ it uses to monitor inflation.

For years, smart casual has been infiltrating more and more offices around the City. Dress-down Friday has fast morphed into dress-down-daily,” Wheeler told us.

Chinos, shirts and knitwear are rapidly replacing the trusty suit, shirt and tie for many professional men — even the more traditional bankers, brokers and lawyers who have steadfastly resisted change for so long.

Ubiquitous in this shift has been the golf course turned office wear staple – the quarter zip.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, though trailing horribly in the polls, appears to still hold a certain sway over the fashion choices of the City worker.

Or perhaps it’s Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s influence.

Daniel Johnson, the men’s stylist, told City A.M. the trend had been coming. 

“The ‘finance bro’ uniform of a 3/4 zip and gilet is nothing new, but it seems like it’s taken a wider and firmer foothold in the last year or so,” he told City A.M. 

While this is “definitely” not the end of the jacket, Johnson believes the rise of the zipper marks a “turning point.”

“The Covid casualisation has been a catalyst to a more relaxed wardrobe but not a final hammer blow. 

“Jackets will always have a place,” he surmises. “The association depends on how it’s worn. Under a peacoat or softly tailored blazer, it’s a city break staple.”