Jie Zheng

Bio:

I'm a Co-Founder of Material Wrld, a social marketplace for fashion that's stirring up the way we shop and refresh our closets. Made in China and hailing from the Midwest, I'm a lover of businesses that do good, all things pretty, and awesome dance parties (especially hip hop).

• Title: Co-Founder, Material Wrld
• Age: 29
• Location: East Village
• Contact: @jie_zheng

Material Wrld lets people shop the closets of curated tastemakers. How responsive have tastemakers been to selling on Material Wrld? Can you give us any hints as to who we can expect to see on Material Wrld?

It's been fun to connect with awesome creatives who have great individual styles. They're pumped to share pieces of their lifestyle and engage friends, fans, and the Material Wrld community to "virtual" raid their closets! And just like me, many of them shop like it's a sport and can be pretty fickle in their tastes. So they're excited that we are creating an easier and prettier solution than eBay and consignment stores that pays more than a pretty penny.

While we're starting with tastemakers, our vision for Material Wrld extends to every day fashion junkies like myself and my co-founder, Rie. We all have unique styles that should be celebrated on an online platform, where we can showcase our style and sell pre-owned fashion.

As for hints on who to expect in our next online Pop-up Store? A fashion blogger from France who rocks cat eyeliner, a global fashion editor who writes about the various antics of Ryan Gosling, and two hot girl DJs who are massive dance parties just waiting to happen!

Who's closet would you raid if you had access to anyone's?

My girl crush, Chloe Sevigny. She owns the effortlessly cool look. Love that she pushes the envelope on traditional beauty and always dominates the red carpet.

You and your cofounder and programmer seem to have a great rapport. Any secrets to the great relationship? Can you give other cofounders tips on how to maintain a good working relationship?

Startup life has been hands down the most sweat and fun I've ever had, and it's all because of the stellar people I'm working with, Rie and Jeremy. I think our strong shared work ethic and good chemistry provides a solid base. We've also created this open and relaxed culture that encourages joking, silliness, and impromptu dance breaks to unleash our creative energy! Bottom line: hustle hard and laugh a lot together.

Favorite tunes to dance around to?

Varies by mood but a recent favorite "rev up" song as I walk to work is Juvenile's dance anthem - you know which one I'm talking about. It's caffeine in audio form. Ummm "Rude Boy" - Rihanna, "Paper Planes" - M.I.A., "Empire State of Mind" - Jay Z, "Big Poppa" - Biggie, "PYT" - Michael Jackson, Snoop, Girl Talk, and vintage Madonna! Anything with a good beat gets me moving. Just can't help it.