Office Style: Meet Zia

“I am a retired roller girl but I still roller skate all the time. Every Tuesday night I go to a roller rink where they play music from the 70’s and 80’s live on an organ.”

Your position at Free People….

Retouching Manager. 

Describe your personal style…

Quirky, sporty, summer camp vibes.

What makes you feel confident?

A fresh hair cut.

Who is your style icon?

Early 90s Gwen Stefani & Janelle Monae.

Favorite part of your job?

I really love the entire FP photo studio family. We have such a talented crew of people, and they always keep me laughing.

What are your beauty + wellness must-haves?

I love my Kopari Moisturizing Cream, as part of my daily facial regime. I’m very minimal with makeup, but I’m super into RMS products because they are organic and don’t have a bunch of bad ingredients! The Lip2Cheek and Living Luminizer are always in my bag. I also love the HUM wellness supplements!

What do you do outside of Free People?

I am a retired roller girl but I still roller skate all the time. Every Tuesday night I go to a roller rink where they play music from the 70’s and 80’s live on an organ.

Tell us more about your past as a roller girl. What got you into it? How long did you do it? What made you stop?

When I was little, I used to watch reruns of old roller derby from the 70’s on TV all the time. It was so entertaining and exciting plus the ladies were so tough! Skip to adulthood. There was a roller derby revival happening around the US and I was one of the first classes of girls to join. Being young, and somewhat punk rock, it was an excellent way for me to be physically active in a hobby, unleash a lot of pent up angst, and bond with a group of like-minded, inspiring women. I was only a part of the team for 2 short years, but returned on and off for the next 6 (it’s a hard thing to quit.) At the time, I stopped because it was a huge time commitment (it’s very DIY, leagues do all the promoting, setting up, planning themselves) and I started to get scared of getting hurt while playing.

I also heard you do sketch comedy, and photograph wrestlers. It sounds like you have a ton of fun hobbies!
How did those two things come about and how often do you do it?

I stumbled into photographing independent professional wrestling (somewhat, accidentally) almost 10 years ago now. A friend invited me to a show on a whim. Indie Wrestling is like seeing a friend’s band play a show in a basement vs. what you see on TV with the WWE, which is like seeing a huge band play a stadium. Much like roller derby, I was immediately in love with the theatrics and asked if I could start shooting the performers backstage and from the side of the ring. Since then, I have traveled with wrestling groups to Canada, and all over the east coast and Midwest. I’ve made a couple of zines, and I am working on a book. I used to shoot multiple times a month, but now it’s once every other month or so.
Through wrestling, I met people involved with sketch comedy. Eventually I got up enough courage to take a class on comedy writing, and formed a group with two women here in Philly. The rest is history.

Who is your favorite wrestler is… The Undertaker. He was really spooky and goth.
Or, wrestler you would want to play in a movie about his/her life. This is kind of cheating, but did you know Cyndi Lauper was a wrestling manager in the 80s? I’d love to play her.

As far as the sketch comedy: what advice would you give someone who has stage fright but really dreams of being on stage?
This is 100% me. Every time I am about to go on stage, I am terrified. It does get easier, but the best thing you can do is be kind to yourself, and try not to overthink it. Practice in front of your loved ones first and any time you can. It’s good to sometimes push yourself to do the things that scare the heck out of you!

Best concert you’ve attended OR dream concert you’d love to attend…

I would love to see Bruce Springsteen play an intimate club like the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ.

Most embarrassing outfit you’ve ever worn.

This is a tricky question! I’m not really embarrassed by any of the outfits I’ve worn because it’s all been a part of the process of figuring out my personal style. (ok, ok, I don’t really love the carpenter jean phase.)

What’s the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery today?

I would buy my mom a house.

What’s in your freepeople.com shopping cart? 

Be Cool Skirt Set
Sophie Coat in Lavender
Ainsley Weather Boot in brown!
Washed Cubs Tee
Lee Union Overall

Follow Zia on Instagram. 

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