Decades Challenge: Meet the Stylist (Via)

Last updated September 11, 2026

The Decades Styling Series was a success! The photoshoot and video content can be found on CONQUERing's Instagram and TikTok. 

In case you've missed the posts and are unfamiliar with what the Decades Styling Series was, here is a little refresher.

We hired three stylists and three models to take on an ultimate fashion challenge. The stylists all chose one decade and were given a surprise decade that they had to create individual looks for using pieces they found at a thrift store paired with CONQUERing jewelry. 

Each stylist and model was also featured on The Conquerer Blog to learn more about the wonderful people that participated in the challenge. 

In this post, we'd like to introduce you to one of our featured stylists, Via. 

Meet the Stylist: Via

Via was one of the stylists that participated in the Decades Styling Series. She was a fashion design student at the University of Cincinnati and now works for CONQUERing full time. 

Via has a very unique perspective as one of the stylists of this challenge. She helped Tammy Nelson—CONQUERing's Founder and CEO—make this challenge a reality and recruited her fellow classmates to participate in the Decades Styling Series. 

We asked Via a few questions to learn more about her experience as a stylist, advice she has for people looking to get into styling, and where she hopes to see her future career go. 

How Did You Begin Your Career as a Stylist?

Via's career began while studying fashion design at the University of Cincinnati.  She's always been interested in styling her own outfits and playing around with various garments she has in her closet. 

However, the Decades Styling Series is one of the first experiences she's had working solely as a stylist. 

"I haven't been able to get an internship in styling yet but I am a photographer and love to style my models for photoshoots when I have creative liberty."—Via

She was able to draw on her experiences styling models for photoshoots in this challenge. Via did a fantastic job styling her decades during the challenge. She created stunning looks and really conquered the styling series. 

Where Do You See Your Career Going?

Once Via wrapped up her time as a student, she was able to choose a styling route based on her own interests and what internships really resonated with her. 

Via told us that the program she was in at the University of Cincinnati required her to complete five different internships to graduate. 

At the time of the challenge, Via was interning in Los Angeles. Each internship she completed helped introduce her to different areas of fashion: 

"There are so many different fields in the fashion industry that I haven't fully figured out if styling will be my path but I want to keep sharing my own styling to show others you can wear garments in a unique way."

Via now works full time for CONQUERing and has helped us take the brand to the next level. 

Any Advice for Readers Looking to Find Their Own Style?

Establishing your own personal style can be tricky, especially when you don't have much knowledge of fashion. We asked Via if she had any advice for our readers that are beginning the journey of figuring out their own style. 

She told us, "My best advice is to document everything, any outfit that inspires you on Pinterest or even in everyday life, document it for inspiration and from there your creative side will come through!"

We think that is amazing advice! It's totally fine to draw inspiration from other people to figure out what style makes you comfortable and confident. 

Via and CONQUERing

From designing her own CONQUERing jewelry to modeling in our photoshoots, Via has been with us since the very start. We wanted to know what her favorite CONQUERing products are and if she had any final thoughts to share about the challenge. 

For Via's favorite products, she said it was really hard to choose because she has so many favorites. She told us, "[R]ecently, I have been loving my luxe zodiac, I am a Libra and adore the detail in this element as well as the bow crossbar as a more feminine ring."

Luxe Zodiac Element	Bow CrossBar Element

She shared some inspiring parting words when we asked her if she had any final thoughts to share about the challenge. 

"[E]veryone's fashion sense is so different and so unique so don't ever be afraid to express yourself through clothing. Lean into the creativity of styling, be weird, and most importantly wear what is going to make YOU feel confident and powerful."

Such great words to live by! What your personal style is truly depends on what makes you feel confident and powerful. Don't let the status quo keep you from trying new things and embracing your creativity. 

Watch Via Conquer the Decades Challenge

Head over to CONQUERing's Instagram and TikTok to see how Via styled her two decades, for behind-the-scenes content, and to learn more about her fashion preferences.