Young Vaughan-trepreneur Cristina De Francesco brings her fashion sense to Kleinburg with outfits for every style. White Cherry is an upscale clothing boutique that carries the most coveted brands worldwide. Cristina gives customers her experienced style expertise and advice throughout their entire shopping experience.

When stepping inside White Cherry Boutique in Kleinburg, one experiences the feeling of walking into a dream closet. Bright, crisp shades of white envelop the space like a warm blanket and the racks and shelves are loaded with the chicest styles of the season. Fluffy pillows surround onlookers as they sit and wait for their friends to try on the perfect outfit for this weekend’s party.  An immediately notable aspect of White Cherry is the unique style of clothing — perhaps something Kleinburg has never seen dwelling in its storefronts before.

“Personally, I am fond of Australian brands, so you will find a lot of them here: CAMEO, Finders Keepers, Keepsake and The Fifth,” says owner Cristina De Francesco, who curates collections from coveted designers across the globe. Now you can skip the shipping and handling costs when you purchase online, and go straight into White Cherry — with the option to try the clothes on before you purchase them.

Although she is one of Vaughan’s youngest entrepreneurs, 26-year-old Cristina has earned an abundance of experience. Before starting her own clothing boutique, she acquired knowledge of every angle of the fashion industry.

“I have worked in many boutiques across the city, and I got a lot of hands-on experience [before] I went to school for fashion at Ryerson and eventually landed a job at Holt Renfrew, where I really learned about the luxury of the fashion industry and that side of it,” she says. “I then made my way into the buying office and learned about the business side, the ins and outs of buying for consumers these days, and different portfolios. As far as my interest in ever opening a boutique, that was something that was instilled in me from a young age, and I just knew I needed to travel more and see more before actually taking the plunge and taking the big risk that it is.”

Cristina’s vision for her boutique is trendy and modern, but she was sure to include a personal tradition when pursuing this dream.  The shop’s name, White Cherry, is a term that is close to her heart, as it contains influences from her culture and family heritage.

“In Italy, my family has a soprannome, which is kind of like a nickname or a representation of your ancestry. My father’s family soprannome is ‘White Hairs’ (Capelli Bianchi), because it’s a running joke that the family gets gray hairs early, and on my mother’s mom’s side, the family is called the ‘Cherries’ (Ciliegie) because of their red-hot temper. It’s a silly thing, but it has always been something that was passed down. Recently, both of my great grandparents passed away and this was a homage that I wanted to pay to the family to include part of our heritage in my future.”

White Cherry Boutique
10425 Islington Ave., Kleinburg, Ont.
905-552-7700

www.whitecherryboutique.com

photos by carlos a. pinto