19 Best Men's Zip-Up Sweaters 2026, According to GQ Editors

It wasn’t long ago that even the best men's zip-up sweaters were the uniform of retired dads and billionaire dweebs—untouchable, unfashionable knitwear. Whether it’s our resignation to the inevitability of old age, an adroit move to pass as a benefactor of generational wealth, or simply a cultural mining for the next thing, zip sweaters–full-zips, quarter-zips, all of 'em—are cool now.Swaggy dudes have seen the style possibilities of the fussy knit, like how it can be fashioned and layered in a multitude of ways. Brands like Mfpen, who have made a thing of subverting corporate uniforms, are using the fuddy-duddy layer to cut through the noise of glitzy high fashion and brash streetwear. Household names like Ralph Lauren and L.L.Bean, who’ve been producing zip-up sweaters forever, are finding newer, younger customers gorging on them—if they haven’t stolen them from their dads first.Now that we're fast approaching sweater weather, it’s the perfect time to get experimental with your knits. And zippered sweaters are a glorious hybrid that can transpose to different style tribes smoothly, from prep to punk to gorp and more. Here are a handful of the best men's sweaters to zip into right now.The Best OverallMfpen Covet Ribbed Cotton-Jersey Zip-Up SweatshirtRead moreThe Best AffordableUniqlo Souffle Yarn Half-Zip SweaterRead moreThe Best Upgrade Full-ZipJohn Smedley Mallam Ribbed Recycled-Cashmere and Merino Wool-Blend Zip-Up CardiganRead moreThe Best Upgrade Quarter-ZipTodd Snyder Merino Quarter-Zip SweaterRead moreThe Best ChunkySNS Herning Robust Merino Wool Zip-Up SweaterRead moreMore Zip Up Sweaters We LoveHow We Test and Review ProductsHow We Make These PicksBest Zip-Up Sweater Overall: Mfpen Covet Ribbed Cotton-Jersey Zip-Up SweatshirtMfpenCovet Ribbed Cotton-Jersey Zip-Up SweatshirtThe zip-up sweater’s rehabilitation into menswear is in large part thanks to many subversive iterations from both Copenhagen’s Mfpen and Stockholm's Our Legacy. That’s precisely why we’re backing the ‘Covet’ as platonic the ideal this season: It's a relaxed, off the shoulder fit without feeling overly boxy, has a versatile two-way zip, and a cozy textured surface that feels like corduroy. Lean into the corpcore of it all wearing it over a crisp striped button-up and sharply pleated dress pants, or under a hard canvas chore coat.Best Budget Zip-Up Sweater: Uniqlo Souffle Yarn Half-Zip SweaterUniqloSouffle Yarn Half-Zip SweaterUniqlo’s deliciously-named souffle yarn half-zip sweaters are ultra fluffy, and feel way more luxurious than their price tag would lead you to believe. It’s almost like a brushed mohair or alpaca, which is great for adding some texture to any outfit lacking it. They also come in a handful of versatile colorways, and are cut in a relaxed fit that’s primed for layering. Be warned, though. Uniqlo’s budget-friendly option makes it scarily easy to add a few different colorways into your shopping cart.Best Upgrade Full-Zip Sweater: John Smedley Mallam Zip-UpJohn SmedleyMallam Ribbed Recycled-Cashmere and Merino Wool-Blend Zip-Up CardiganThe fineness of cashmere might make you think it’s best reserved for the office, or saved for a nice dinner out—and at the price point, we get it. But the folks at John Smedley want you to run your cashmere through the mud, say, on the Derbyshire moors, where the brand has been based for 242 years. Made from an equal blend of cashmere and merino wool, their Mallam cardigan is sturdier than just having the former alone, while retaining its soft, lightweight feel. Worn simply with a well-loved pair of jeans and a tee, the sophisticated rib-knit will have you feeling “smart”, as the Brits say, especially as the funnel neck, when left unzipped (see image) folds into a neat collar.Best Upgrade Quarter-Zip Sweater: Todd Snyder Merino Quarter-ZipTodd SnyderMerino Quarter-Zip SweaterLofty, luscious merino wool in a lovely shade of olive green? Something about this makes us want a dirty martini. Todd Snyder’s slate of knitwear has evolved in recent seasons from a whirlwind of midcentury prints and patterns to a calm, collected stable of minimalist designs, each with the same great knack for construction, materials, and fit.These merino wool quarter-zips are the perfect example. The wool is supremely soft and luxuriously silky, plus the contrasting knits from between the torso and the saddle shoulder sleeves is a subtle, yet distinguished feature. It’s cut into a tastefully tailored fit that can look dapper tucked into some high-waisted pleated trousers, or untucked with a plain white tee peaking out from underneath, paired over some baggy cargo pants.Best Chunky Zip-Up Sweater: SNS Herning Robust Merino Zip-Up SweaterSNS HerningRobust Merino Wool Zip-Up SweaterIf you had to choose one hard-wearing knit to carry you through the next few months, invest in one that’s heavy. Made in a five-gauge multidimensional knit using 100% pure merino wool, the aptly named ‘Robust’ zip-up sweater from S.N.S. Herning is tough enough for the North Sea sailors they used to outfit. Featuring seamless stitch shifts at the shoulders and sleeves that recall the family-run firm’s military association, the stand collar cuts a severe presence under a shiny leather jacket. That said, you can always switch up the vibe with a pair of baggy cargo pants and some sporty shades.More Zip Up Sweaters We LoveFrizmworksRibbed Wool-Blend Zip-Up SweaterNo collar? No problem. Frizmworks’ minimal take on the zip-up cardigan looks just as chic under a topcoat as it does over a vintage graphic tee.Drake'sStriped Cotton-Jersey Half-Zip Polo ShirtThe Rugby shirt meet the quarter-zip sweater. Thanks, Drake’s.AlteaWool-Blend Zip-Up CardiganChunky, and knitted with two-tone yarns; wearing this with some light-wash jeans is enough to get the texture singing.Our LegacyUltra Ribbed Merino Wool Zip-Up SweaterIf you’re looking for some structure in your knitwear, Our Legacy made their zip-up sweater in an uber chunky ribbed texture—and in merino wool, at that. Our favorite part? The raglan sleeves.District VisionLogo-Appliquéd Half-Zip Shell Running JacketThis lightweight, single-layer running shell (technically) has a crispy nylon that looks beautiful no matter the activity.Ralph LaurenEstate-Rib Quarter-Zip PulloverAs ubiquitous as a Patagonia puffer vest might be in any financial district across the English speaking world, the old heads knows what's good with Ralph.How We Test and Review ProductsStyle is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.How We Make These PicksWe make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)