Behind The Runway: The Stylist, Jewelry Designer, and Shoemaker Who Dressed Love
Courtney Francisco, Pearl Baker, and Madison Gaworski reflect on the creative process, collaboration, and emotion that brought the runway of Coeur Exposé to life
Before the lights came up and the first model stepped onto the runway, Coeur Exposé was already pulsing with feeling. Behind every look was a collaboration rooted in trust, vision, and love. We spoke to the show’s stylist, Courtney Francisco, jewelry designer, Pearl Baker, and footwear designer, Madison Gaworski, about the process of building a world where fashion tells a story—and every detail speaks from the heart.
Courtney Francisco
How did you get into styling?
I kinda just fell into it! I’ve always loved to play dress up and one day a bestie of mine asked if I wanted to co-style a test shoot with her. It definitely snowballed from there because I fell in love with it and would always say yes to any opportunity lol
How did you find World Of My Own?
Through Syd! Met her on set when she was doing photo and I was just starting out. A couple months later she asked if I wanted to style a shoot for her and here we are!!
How did you build a narrative through styling for the collection—were there any guiding themes or an arc you wanted to convey on the runway?
Syd’s vision of the show from the very beginning was to take the audience on a journey of falling in love. Each look was reflective of this, for example the first look was called “a crush enters like an angel.” Throughout each look there’s different themes relating to love like idealism and vulnerability and we maintained these themes through soft colors and textures. Each look felt like its own character that we got to explore and learn about. The models also did a phenomenal job at embodying these characters and bringing them to life
How do you balance your own personality as a stylist with Sydney’s work and vision? What did that collaboration look like?
Balancing my own personality as a stylist with Syd’s vision took collaboration, especially considering we also had Pearl (our jewelry designer) and Madison (our footwear designer). It was so beautiful bouncing off of each other's ideas and how they manifested. I also love to over accessorize but a lot of these looks were delicate and kind of spoke for themselves, so I had to keep reminding myself of that lol
Do you have a piece of advice for those looking to get into styling?
Surround yourself with community / likeminded people who will inspire you to push yourself!!! Styling can be a lot of work but it’s so fulfilling to see what a labor of love can become
What’s next?
More of this I hope!!!!!
Pearl Baker
How did you get into jewelry design?
My decision to start making jewelry came to me sort of spontaneously. After studying fashion business for a year I felt super unfulfilled and started to really stray away from the fashion industry. At the time I subconsciously had a need for more individual creativity and simply just the excuse to make art with my hands.
Being an art major was super daunting to me and didn't seem like it could ever be my reality, it was something for others but not me. I quickly got over that after trying out business and got myself into the jewelry program at FIT not really knowing what I was getting into.
Only a few months into it I was extremely obsessed and satisfied with my decision, and just decided not to look back.
How did you find World Of My Own?
Probably instagram! I do remember meeting Sydney briefly over the summer not knowing about World Of My Own. We were both selling clothes at a mutual friend Sofia Quezaire’s pop up. She had a vintage suitcase full of clothes next to me. I don't think either of us sold much but we had a good time hanging out on the street that day.
Were there any pieces of media that inspired your work for the show?
My instant inspiration is always from my friends and what they are doing and wearing. I can't say there was anything super specific that inspired my work for the show. I think I was just super ready to exercise my creative freedom and had lots of ideas stored away ready to be used. A lot of what I had been dreaming about making while in school was able to come out finally and into this project.
Where did your process begin when thinking about the jewelry for Coeur Exposé?
Leather! I think one of the first things I told Sydney was I WANT TO USE LEATHER and I want it to be a big earring. I knew I wanted to mix metal and leather, so I really went off of that. I did as much research as I could, not really knowing Sydney and World Of My Own too well. I found right away that our styles really aligned so I felt super excited to start designing.
When starting on a new design I usually go into the studio and surround myself with all the possible materials I can come up with. I just play around with them and everything in front of me becomes a possible piece in the design. The raw forms, textures and colors are really how I formulate the plan. It’s always a loose plan and is super malleable and open to change. Most often things do change along the way.
What role did Sydney play in the jewelry design? Was she involved in the process or give you full creative freedom?
Sydney really motivated me and gave me so much confidence from the beginning. She gave me a lot of creative freedom and trust. We would meet every few weeks leading up to the show to share as much as possible but I think it was hard to convey everything at such early stages across different mediums. It was intuition we went with. We were both just so excited for what was to come. Although I think when she explained to me the backstory of the show and how it was really in honor of falling in love exposing your heart and opening your mind I imagined everything to be playful and vulnerable, so I wasn't afraid to play with large shapes and lots of texture. Another detail she shared with me that helped along the way was the names of each look. It really pieced together the story for me. A few that really stuck with me and I think represented the looks well; “Eye Contact” look 16, “Exposure” look 13, “What is inside must become outside” look 5, “Blossoming” look 18. I really enjoyed keeping these in thought when creating.
Did you have a favorite jewelry design/final look?
It was definitely the big leather circle earrings. These were really something I was excited from day one to see go down the runway and make a statement. I was really blown away by how truly cohesive everything came together. I think the look I can't stop thinking about is the woven leather two piece top and skirt worn with Maddie’s cream leather backless boots and the leather circle earrings. Just worn so beautifully by the model as well. I love how the ends were raw and coming off her body.
What’s next?
Sharing these pieces with everyone!! I can't wait to see them being worn and styled this summer. I hope that my pieces will feel super wearable and make people excited to leave the house. I have definitely been enjoying wearing them myself. I am excited to keep being creative with World Of My Own it's such a dream!
Madison Gaworski
How did you get into footwear design?
I actually started in fashion design, but my heart was always with the shoes. There’s something about footwear that feels like sculpture, you build from the ground up. I’ve always loved the way a shoe can completely shift the energy of a look, or even how someone walks through the world. At the end of my associates degree I knew I needed to follow my intuition and switch over to footwear & accessories. I knew I had found my thing. It gave me space to merge storytelling, structure, and feeling all in one place, and most importantly have fucking fun!!!!!!!!
How did you find World Of My Own?
WOMO’s amazing stylist for this show, Courtney, came to me and asked if I wanted to make some shoes for the upcoming show. That’s when I saw the wonderful world that was blooming in front of me- World Of My Own felt like this universe full of possibility, heart, and experimentation. It wasn’t just about fashion or art—it was about feeling something, about building something meaningful with people who care deeply. I instantly knew I wanted to be part of it.
How did you conceptualize the footwear for Coeur Exposé? What did the process look like?
Sydney shared the vision with me early on, and I could feel the vulnerability and love behind it. I really wanted the shoes to reflect that duality—the raw and the resilient. The process was pretty fluid; I sketched while thinking about emotional armor, softness, exposure, flowers. I played with hand-finished elements, and silhouettes that felt protective, but still vulnerable. It was really about making pieces that lived inside the world she was creating. I was able to make 7 pairs from scratch. I of course wish I could have had time to do more, as all the looks were so incredible & my mind was always going with possibilities for shoes for each look. I wanted the shoes to be soft, flat, as love to me is loving the natural person within.
What were your biggest inspirations for this collection?
Emotion was at the core. I kept coming back to the idea of being vulnerable and how hard it is to let someone in—the beauty in being cracked open. I was drawn to textures like worn ballet slippers, flowers, things that hold or protect. Also romantic silhouettes like ruffles and pleats. A lot of it was about letting the material speak, and allowing imperfection to feel intentional.
How did you and Sydney work together to marry the footwear and the clothing for the show?
Sydney and the team had this really open dialogue. We’d send each other photos, scraps of fabric, notes whenever everyone had the time. There was a lot of trust. I had gotten the original thoughts at the beginning and worked from there, and as things became created physically, I was able to solidify the shoes as well. As we’re all in school, making all of our schedules align was of course an obstacle, but everything worked out so beautifully as I had no doubt it would. Keeping that in mind I definitely kept the shoes quiet enough so that no matter what it would go with the show. We were both building the same world, just from different angles. It never felt like the shoes were separate, they were characters in the same story.
What aspects of working for Coeur Exposé differed from other projects you’ve taken part in?
This one felt deeply personal. It was full of emotion, full risk, and full heart. It pushed me to design more intuitively, to listen to what the collection needed instead of what I thought it should be. There was so much honesty in the process, and that made it really special.
Did you have a favorite shoe/final look?
Definitely. I absolutely loved Nina’s look. The woven dress was so insane and gorgeous, with the hair and the makeup everything just fell together so perfectly. The shoes looked so cool with it too, it really brought the vision to life and the way the boots draped was exactly how I saw it, nothing is cooler than when a vision in your mind comes out exactly how you want it to.
What’s next?
I’m working on building my brand, Peluda. It’s honoring leather and the animal that is within us all— the part that’s rugged, playful, expressive, and real. I want to keep making pieces that feel energetic, that connect, and help people feel like their lives are art in motion. I’m also diving into collaborations that let me stretch, experiment, and stay grounded in the why. Coeur Exposé reminded me that fashion is feeling. That’s the direction I want to keep walking in. I would absolutely love to keep creating for WOMO too, whenever they’d want me, it’s such a beautiful brand with insanely beautiful and talented people. I genuinely feel the love and community within this brand.
XOXO,
World of My Own