Sherry Nguyen is an entrepreneur, fashion stylist, and artist. She is currently the CEO of Sherry Starseed, a holistic advisory that has served over 5,000 clients since its launch in late 2021. She has been content creator for the last three years racking up to ten million views. She is also the current Marketing Leader for RVAFW. She founded Urban Academy in hopes of providing a safe space for emerging and established creatives to showcase their work while building a network of diverse artists. In her spare time, she enjoys creating art. Her preferred tools are acrylic and charcoal.

Ryan Azia is a multi disciplinary artist. Highly recognized for his black and white environmental portraiture. Ryan is also an accomplished jewelry and fashion designer, as well as a contemporary multimedia artist. He is the creative director for RVAFW, VA Style Mag, his own brand: the Aziancy and is on the advisory board for Dash Talents a business and creative consultant offering guidance, mentorship, and strategies as well as working on one of his many ongoing projects.

Fitz is an upcoming Senior At VCU majoring in Business Product Management & Development. HUGH, byfitzgodwin, is a sustainable one-off clothing brand focused on using unique patterns, abstract silhouettes, and unisex designs to construct fashion-forward garments.  Hugh’s concept and mission is to bring awareness to individuality through sustainability and 1of1 designed garments. In hope that through fashion, HUGH has a positive affect on the environment and socially as well. Living in a world full of lost garments & humans. All varying in style filled with endless potential.

Liz Nguyen is an active fashion and commercial model, singer and performer for an entertainment company, a model/pageant coach, and a former DC pageant titleholder. Liz began competing in pageants in 2012 and was awarded the title of Elite Ms. DC Earth United States in 2016, where she was awarded the Miss Congeniality Award and placed 3rd Runner-up in the National Pageant. Modeling since 2015, Liz has walked runways in DC and in New York Fashion Week. She is published internationally and has modeled for local and international brands and hotel chains.

Aspen Brown is a multi-published model currently located in Richmond, VA. She has graced the runways in NYFW, Miami Swim Week, Virginia Swim Week, the Sassy Jones Ready-To-Wear Fashion Show, as well as numerous occasions for RVAFW. She is a well-rounded creative in the industry, as she is not only a photographer, but also a creative director. Currently, she is the reigning Miss Bikini Tropics 2023 as she earned her title in this years Miss Bikini US Pageant. Her expertise in the industry has given her the privilege of being the backstage model coordinator for the first Urban Academy Fashion Show this fall.

Bria Roberts is a recent graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Merchandising and a minor in Art History. Bria was as a recipient of the 2023 Fashion Scholarship Fund. She garnered much experience in fashion and event production as a lead back-of-house coordinator for RVAFW going on her second season, as well as operations lead for the 2022 VCU annual fashion comeback event PROCESS 2022. Some of the more notable companies/brands she has worked with are Dillards, Tim Reid Productions, Sassy Jones, and Small Boutique Fashion Week. Moreover, as a fashion writer/social media intern for local Richmond brand The Lizne.