By Ana Lete
Photography Kimberlee Miller
When Elaine Fredriksson was a little girl, she would go hunting with her dad near Cascade, ID. At eight years old, she would play with the sunflowers and say, “Look Dad! I’m a Sunflower!” and he would respond, “You’re my flower of the sun.” Years later, after many hunting trips with her dad, giving her life to medicine, and raising four daughters, Fredriksson wanted to do something for herself, and that something is an online boutique inspired by the sun – flowers: Flor De Sol. “I’m an Idaho girl, born and raised,” said Elaine Fredriksson, owner and operator of the online boutique, Flor De Sol, “From a young age, my dad taught me to hunt and fish. I would trail around him picking sunflowers and he’d say, ‘Come on flower of the sun.’ It was our thing. I translated flower of the sun into Spanish because we’re Spanish and Italian.”
Founded in November 2017, Flor De Sol is an online boutique with roots nestled in Eagle, ID. Her website, theflordesol. com, offers everything from jeans, dresses, hats, tops, bot – toms, gloves, jewelry, candles, and phone accessories, while her clothing and accessories range from athletic to casual to professional wear. But according to Fredriksson, her personal touch is what sets her apart from other boutiques. Every quarter, Fredriksson goes to fashion markets in Vegas, LA, and New York to handpick items for her online boutique. At these shows, designers from all over the world set up shop with their clothing and merchandise. “It’s like a massive shop – ping spree,” said Fredriksson. “I handpick quality clothes from all different price points from high end to $20 or less.”
In addition to offering clothes online at Flor De Sol, Fredriks – son also offers personal stylist consultation services and will even handpick clothes for her clients specifically upon request. “I’ve always been good at dressing people,” Fredriksson said. “I love helping people find clothes that fit their body and make them feel more comfortable and confident.” Fredriksson cites her daughters as inspiration as well. “I have four daughters, and every one of them is completely different.” Fredriksson said. “I have one daughter who loves to wear casual and active wear. One of my other daughters is a business-girl, but has an old soul and likes vintage stuff. I have my Urban daughter who likes the trendy downtown look, and I also have my youngest daughter who attends college, who loves casual but trendy clothing.” Fredriksson says that she’s been inspired by each of her daughter’s visions for who they want to be. “They are all different sizes too,” she said. “In my own home, I was the CEO of regulating my daughters’ emotions and helping them find clothes that made them feel comfortable and confident.” According to Fredriksson, her daughters have helped her realize that, “an article of clothing that works for one person, won’t work for another. They’ve all helped me see that.” When asked what she looks for when picking clothes for Flor De Sol, Fredriksson said that beyond the quality of the items, she looks for pieces that will please women and girls of all ages.
According to Fredriksson, “Today, shopping is multi-generational. If you go to the Meridian Village, you see grandma, mom, and her teenage daughter all shopping together…You can buy a Flor De Sol gift card and give it to any lady, and they’ll be able to find something at my store.” But Flor De Sol doesn’t stop there. “When you get stuff from other boutiques, it comes wrapped in plastic that you tear open and throw away,” Fredriksson said. “I’ve spent a lot of time designing my brand and creating my boxes. Everything is labeled, handwritten, and wrapped pretty,” She said. On the front of the box in flowy font is her tagline, ‘Keep going, keep growing.’ If you look at Flor De Sol’s logo, you’ll see a sunflower girl who’s going forward, but also growing. “That’s to support and empower our women,” said Fredriks – son. “More women are doing multi-tasks. They’re working, taking care of kids, cook – ing, and leading busy lives. They still want to be fit and young, respected and confi – dent. I want all women included even stay at home moms. We’re working and showing our children a different, stronger, and inde – pendent path. I want to empower women, grow with women, and be there for their support.” This is also why Fredriksson decided to take her store online, as opposed to finding a physical location. “When I was working in medicine, I literally had no time to shop. I went to work in the dark and came home in the dark. I had my breaks, but we didn’t have cell phones to shop online back then,” said Fredriksson. “That’s why I wanted to have Flor De Sol be an online boutique: to work with people and their busy lives.”
According to Fredriksson, aiding in the growth of women, and her local Idaho com – munity, is a key focus for her throughout Flor De Sol. Because of this, Fredriksson gives back whenever she can. “I met with a lady who designs necklaces and said, ‘I keep losing my glasses. I need something that looks cute, that I can wear out, but that I can put my reading glasses in when I’m working so I don’t lose them.’ So she and I then collaborated and came up with this design.” Dubbed, the Elaine Necklace, Fredriksson donates 10% of each Elaine necklace to Project KidsQuest, a local non-profit that gives Foster children real world experienc – es designed to introduce them to different career fields and avenues.
According to Fredriksson, “Project KidsQuest is about a year and a half old, and I wanted to be involved in their growth.” In addition to Project KidsQuest, Fredriks – son also contributed a tree for Festival of Trees last month and donated an Elaine necklace to a giving circle. “I give back wherever I can,” she said. “Whatever I do, I do it with the intent to help my communi – ty grow through supporting kids, women, and the community to ‘keep going, keep growing’ in any way I can.
Visit theflordesol.com
