Julia (center) is flanked by her admiring sisters, Amanda and Sarah, at Christmas time last month.

by Sue Ann Rybak

Julia Fleming, of Wyndmoor, just may be on the road to superstardom in the high-profile, fiercely competitive world of high fashion.

The 19-year-old newcomer made headlines last September when she walked down runways for celebrity designer Victoria Beckham, also known as a former member of the Spice Girls’ best-selling pop music group and wife of famed soccer star and product endorser, David Beckham.

“It was my first show, and I was really nervous,” she said.

She recalled a conversation between her and Victoria Beckham during rehearsal. “Beckham said something like 'You are so gorgeous. You must have been in a lot of shows,' and I said, 'Actually, this is my first show ever,' and she couldn't believe it. She was really excited for me.”

Since then, Julia has modeled in over 35 shows — for designers like Celine, Versace, Calvin Klein, Antonio Berardi, Rag & Bone, Moncler Gamme Rouge, Salvatore Ferragamo, Coach and Vera Wang.

The Penn Charter graduate has been billed as the “Model to Watch” by “The Daily Front Row.” Fashionista.com, a popular high-fashion website, wrote that Fleming has a “quietly striking and versatile look that appeals to a wide range of designers.”

Surprisingly, prior to signing with Next Model in July last year, Fleming had almost no modeling experience, although she did do a brief stint with Reinhard Model & Talent in center city.

Jenna Adams, the director at Reinhard, suggested that the Ursinus College (in Collegeville) freshman move to New York because she has a “high-fashion look.” (Since then, Julia has taken a year off from Ursinus to be a full-time model, which has required extensive foreign travel.)

Julia’s mother, Patricia, co-owner (with husband, Toby) of Twisters Yoga Studios in Erdenheim and Ambler, said her daughter never really pursued modeling full-time because she was focused on her studies and playing lacrosse at Ursinus.

However, fate had other plans for the freshman college student. After Fleming's mother ran into a friend who was having coffee with Ron Gerard, director of Next Model Management in Miami, Patricia jokingly told Gerard that her daughter had done some modeling. Gerard then suggested that Patricia email him some of Julia’s photos.

Although she had no previous modeling experience, Julia has catapulted to the upper regions of the modeling world. Here she is on the cover of a recent issue of Vogue Beauty magazine in Japan.

Gerard then forwarded the photos to Jason Valenta, director of scouting for Next Model Management in New York, who later contacted the family and urged Julia to sign a contract with them.

“I had no idea how it was going to go,” Julia said. “It usually takes three to four years to kick-start a career. I am really happy about the way my career has taken off. A lot of girls have it really hard for the first few years. I am really excited for next season to see how many shows I am able to do. For me to have done almost 40 shows is mind-blowing to. I feel very fortunate.”

Julia admits she knew very little about fashion before becoming a professional model. “Everything was new to me,” she said. “I didn't even know what a casting director was. I was in London when I finally figured it out.”

Since becoming a model, her sense of fashion sense has changed. Julia, who described herself as a “jeans and t-shirt or sweatshirt girl” in high school and college, said she almost never dressed up because she was often working out or playing sports.

“I still don't really dress up,” she said. “I just put a little more effort into it. Now that I am in the industry, I have come to appreciate some styles that in the past I might have never worn. Now, I like it and think it’s something I would invest in and wear.”

When asked about her beauty routine, she described it as “super simple. I literally wake up and brush my teeth. It sounds so sad and depressing. In high school, I was never really into make-up. And now that getting my hair and make-up done is my job, I don't really wear it unless I am going to an event. I don't even style my hair because of the way it dries.”

She added that during show season she had over 40 makeovers and “loved every minute of it. I don't think of it as work,” she said. “I really enjoy modeling.”

Besides the hair, make-up and clothes, Fleming loves being able to travel all over the world. “I have made friends from every corner of the world now.”

Julia admits her new life did take some getting used to. “I am a micro-manager,” she said. “As a student, I would plan out every aspect of my school work. I really liked having a schedule at school. Now, oh, my gosh, I can't even begin to do that.”

She said that during show season, she might get a phone call at any hour of the night, informing her that she has to quickly go to a “casting,” where certain models are selected to go to a particular show. .

“It can be really stressful, but I have to say from my first season I wasn't stressed. I was never unhappy. It was all nerves and adrenaline. I don't think I even realized how much I accomplished.”

The Local asked if her modeling career has changed her eating habits. “My diet hasn't drastically changed. I think I just eat less of the junk food and more of the good stuff.”

She confessed her favorite junk food is extra cheddar goldfish. “That is my weakness,” she said, laughing.

It's easy to see why designers like Julia’s elegant, natural look. She is 5-foot-11 and quite thin, but Fleming is much more than just a pretty face. Readers may recall that the Local did a story last year on her efforts to raise funds and awareness about progeria, a rare fatal genetic disease which causes rapid aging in children. Phyllis Falcone, of Erdenheim, whose two sons have progeria, met Fleming when she was a sophomore in high school.

“She wanted to interview us for a term paper she was writing,” Falcone said. “I was hesitant, but she was persistent.” After the interview, Fleming continued to be involved in the Falcones' lives. To date, she has helped to raise over $15,000 for the Progeria Research Foundation.

“What's amazing is that she's done it in really small ways — by holding bake sales, selling hair ties and hosting dance parties,” said Falcone, whose children love Julia. “When Ms. Julia is around, nobody else matters. We love Ms. Julia, and the fundraising is just a bonus for us. When she first started modeling and things started to happen for her, I worried that it would change things, that she wouldn't want to be around as much, but it definitely hasn't changed her.”

Falcone said Fleming came over last month to help them decorate their Christmas tree. She said she spent several hours playing football with her youngest son, Bennett. It amazes Falcone that one day Julia can be walking runways for Antonio Berardi and the next crawling on her knees in the grass to hug her son, whose rare disease makes him look like an old man.

“Her physical beauty has nothing to do with why we love her. And when she started to get all this attention for her appearance, I thought, ‘Wait a second; that's not Ms. Julia. You don't know what she is really about.’ She is really about so much more than just looks.”

Fleming hopes to use modeling as a platform to raise awareness and funding for progeria research. The Wyndmoor native doesn't know if supermodel status is in her future, but there is no doubt that she is beautiful on the inside and out.

One can stay up-to-date on Fleming’s career by visiting https://www.instagram.com/juliaflemingmodel/.