Fashion shows — and this week’s Atlantic City Fashion Week is no exception — are about showcasing the work of clothing designers. Months of effort can go into creating a collection of 10 to 15 pieces.

But all that work would be for nothing if it weren’t for the people who actually show off those clothes — the models.

This year, Atlantic City Fashion Week will feature models from all over the world — and a few from around the corner.

“We get calls (from models) from Australia, Morocco, it amazes me how far Atlantic City Fashion Week reaches,” said fashion week organizer Lamont Bowling.

Out of the 500 models who showed up for casting and the 140 or so who were hired for the event, Bowling said there are a handful of South Jersey models who will add their local flair to the runways.

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For two of these young models, Atlantic City Fashion Week is another potential job, a possible agency to sign with, an opportunity to further their fashion careers.

Sophia Leap

A junior in high school, Sophia Leap said she’s your typical student. She takes AP English, journalism and Italian classes; she’s not a math-and-science person, she said.

She walks down the halls of Mainland Regional High School like any other teenager. But it’s different when she’s on a runway.

Leap, 16, has been modeling for about a year. She walked in last summer’s Atlantic City Fashion Week and New York City Fashion Week in February.

“When I hit 5’10”, my mom said I could be a basketball player or a model” with my height, Leap said. “I really hate sports. I was always a fashion-loving girly-girl.”

Her first modeling gig came unexpectedly: Leap and her family were celebrating her grandfather’s 71st birthday last August at a marina. At that same marina was Lainy Gold, creator of Lainy Gold Designs in Point Pleasant, looking for a nautical backdrop. Oh, and a fashion model.

“Lainy said one of her models didn’t show up, and my mom said, ‘My daughter is 5’10”!’ I was hesitant at first, but then (my mom) pressured me a little. I’m kind of happy she did,” Leap said.

Soon after, Leap became Gold’s house model and started doing other fashion shows. Designers and others at her first Atlantic City Fashion Week last September lauded her first runway walk, saying Leap had skills of a more experienced model.

She’ll show off her runway skills 14 separate times during fashion week for as many designers, modeling ready-to-wear and couture outfits Friday and Saturday.

“When you’re on the runway, you’re doing as best as you possibly can,” she said. “I feel pride, and I feel really strong. It’s self-empowering.”

In the next couple of years, Leap said she’d like to go to college, possibly somewhere in New York City to pursue her loves of modeling and journalism.

“I travel one to two times a week, to Philly or New York City, but I like to do stuff in Atlantic City,” she said. “It’s good to go back to your roots.”

India Villanueva

If Galloway Township’s India Villanueva had to pick one word to describe her first time walking in the Atlantic City Fashion Show, she’d choose “hectic.”

“There was a lot of people, a lot of running around,” said Villanueva, now 20, of her first event about two years ago. “Now I’m used to it. It’s fun.”

Villanueva started her modeling career six years ago through Barbizon Modeling & Talent Agency in Egg Harbor Township. It was in those offices Villanueva said she learned the basics of makeup, hair and her walk.

The desire to be a model came from Villanueva’s early love of clothes and it played up the height she already had, the lofty type coveted for models.

“I was the only tall kid in school, and I’ve loved fashion and clothes,” said Villanueva, who is 5’9”. A graduate of Absegami High School, she remembers the dress-up clothes she used to wear when she was much younger.

Though she worked with a local agent, Villanueva said she started freelancing her talents for various fashion events. Aside from her first Atlantic City Fashion Week, she has been involved with local shows, including the 2012 Prom Fashion Show at Egg Harbor Township’s Shore Mall.

Two to three times a month, Villanueva said she’ll travel for work. Recently, she was featured in Philadelphia Fashion Week. She had a photo shoot with a designer in the City of Brotherly Love last week. Ultimately, Villanueva said she hopes to be signed with a large modeling agency in New York City.

For others who are interested in clothing, modeling or fashion, Villanueva recommended the Atlantic City Fashion Week as a primer for further education. She said she’s excited to scope out designers at the shows, not only for future work, but to see who’s creating the minimalist looks she likes to rock.

“You learn more about fashion and you can open your mind and see the things you could possibly wear,” she said.