INSTYLE

Material Girl:

Saint Cloud Woman Starts Boutique With Premium Fabrics

By Alina Alvarez

Kateryna Hutchens, owner of Saint Cloud-based boutique Modern Shine, has loved fashion since she was a young girl. Growing up in Ukraine, she discovered her passion by watching and helping her mother, a master seamstress, make beautiful sparkly ballroom dancing outfits and elegant wedding dresses.

Now, with the help of some of the most premium fabrics in the world, she’s able to follow in her mother’s footsteps. By the time she graduated with her bachelor’s degree, she knew she wanted to have a business of her own one day.

However, due to the war in Ukraine, her dream was pushed aside as she had to relocate.

She earned her master’s degree and worked three jobs as an accountant in Kyiv, Ukraine before making the move to Florida. Once she got here, she noticed clothing stores were lacking the sparkly styles she loved and the lingering desire to open her own boutique resurfaced.

“I decided I wanted to be unique, and I wanted to bring something new,” Hutchens says. “My passion was always sparkly clothing with lots of rhinestones ever since I was a child and I noticed that there’s barely any of that type of clothing in stores, but I’ve also noticed lots of women who have rhinestones on their nails, on their accessories, belts, hats—like women love it.”

When picking out the items she wanted to include in Modern Shine’s first launch, Hutchens decided on a more casual collection while still finding small ways to implement the European-style glitz and glamor that inspires her brand.

Her main goals for the boutique are to sell premium quality clothing and offer affordable prices. Thanks to the unique materials she uses for her products, Modern Shine can deliver exactly that.

Almost all the products available on the boutique’s website are made of Turkish cotton and denim—premium fabrics known for their soft, luxurious feel.

“In Europe, it’s very popular to buy Turkish clothing because you’re 100% sure that it’s durable and good quality. You know that tomorrow when you wash it, it won’t fall apart,” Hutchens says.

The same can be said for the leggings and jackets available on Modern Shine’s website, which use eco-leather. This leather is made from all natural fibers, 100% vegan and mimics the look and feel of real leather. Not only are these products more breathable and require less maintenance than standard leather, they’re also biodegradable, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Products like leggings, jeans and joggers range from $45 to $65 and feature small rhinestones on the waist area to give that shiny, sparkly look that Hutchens loves so much. A similar rhinestone detailing can be seen on the sleeves of the leather jackets.

While Modern Shine may have just one collection right now, Hutchens has big goals for the boutique’s future. She explains that she wants to expand the range of clothing offered from casual, everyday clothing to more “going-out” clothes and even lingerie.

She’s also playing around with the idea of creating home and pet collections. There’s no brick and mortar store yet, but if you’re in the Saint Cloud area be sure to check out this local online boutique at modernshineclothing.com and follow Kateryna’s journey on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.