The Sol La La Story

One afternoon, while sight-seeing in the brilliant Greek sun, I wished for fashion alternatives to sunscreen - simple, stylish accessories that would protect me from the sun and complement my favorite summer clothes, not replace them. I wished I could slip on a pretty sun-safe accessory when I stepped outside and take it off when I went inside, just like I do with my sunglasses.

That was the inspiration moment for Sol La La.  What started on my 55th birthday as a passion project to create a collection of sun-smart styles for women that are made in America of eco-friendly fabrics, is today my online boutique, Sol La La. 

Research, development and design took me to technical textile conferences, night school at FIT, dermatologists' offices, a consumer marketing lab in Utah, a generations-old fabric mill in Massachusetts, a young blogger in Kansas City, a younger web designer in Austin, and a fashion designer, a photographer and a family-owned factory, all in Brooklyn ... and, we're just getting started!  I'm proud to say Sol La La exceeds my initial wish with a premiere collection that offers:  

  • Excellent UVA & UVB Protection - UPF 30+
  • Simple, stylish designs that complement every Sol Sister's wardrobe
  • Ultra soft, lightweight, breathable, natural fabric
  • Entirely made-in-America garments by family-owned mills and factories
  • Affordable prices

Like so many Sol Sisters, I love spending time in the sunshine: walking, shopping, traveling, cheering my kids on the soccer field...the list goes on and on.

When the sun is out we want to wear the latest sundresses, tee’s and cold-shoulder tops. But, we worry about exposing our skin to sun damage.

Now, when we slip on our fave sunglasses to shield our eyes from the sun we can also slip on our fave Sol La La style to protect our precious skin from the sun's harmful UV rays.

I hope you'll treat yourself or someone you care about to Sol La La's simple, stylish, sun safe accessories and apparel.

It’s a beautiful day outside, let's "step into the sun…,” together.
 

 

Team

Darlene Sullivan

Fashion Designer

Darlene believes in the importance of blending lifestyle with personal style through fashion design. Her designs embody the vitality and creativity of her Brooklyn home. She brings an aesthetic eye as well as a passion for eco-friendly fabrics and functional wearables to her styles for women, children and pets. Darlene is an FIT-trained fashion designer with degrees in visual arts and photography.

 

Hillary Henrici

Graphic & Web Designer

Hillary is inspired by evocative simplicity because, to her, design is all about actuating a message in visual form with economy and wit. She is a student of brand, graphic, web, UX, and package design. Her creative talents extend to modeling and she is featured in Sol La La’s lifestyle images. Hillary's New England upbringing and Austin, TX lifestyle inform her design sensibility.

 

McKenzie Thompson

Photographer & Stylist

McKenzie has a critical eye for color, style and composition and strives to infuse that richness into every aspect of her professional and personal life. She developed her love for photography and videography growing up in the breathtaking beauty of the Pacific Northwest and maintains a love for the outdoors and eco-friendly design. McKenzie’s strong aesthetic sense is built on her production background in the fashion and beauty world.  

 

Dora Grote

Blogger

Dora is on a quest to tell life’s stories through the power of traditional journalism and social media. She seeks to humanize the news, and connect people with the information they want and need through social media, digital imagery and responsible reporting. Hailing from farm life in the Midwest, she loves the outdoors, adventure, and fitness. Dora considers Iowa City, Kansas City and New York City her homes.

Advisory Board

 

Dr. Jacqueline Beer, MD
Dermatologist & Partner
Eastside Medical and Aesthetic Dermatology

Dr. Jacqueline Beer is board certified in internal medicine and dermatology. Her practice, Eastside Medical and Aesthetic Dermatology, is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. For more than 20 years, Dr. Beer has been a vocal advocate for sun protection with her patients and fellow medical professionals. She is recognized as one of the preeminent dermatologists in New York City. Dr. Beer is a recipient of Compassionate Doctor Recognition (2015 & 2009) and the Patients Choice Award (2008). 

Jacqui joined the Sol La La advisory board because she believes, "Abby’s on to something. Make it easy for women to protect themselves by giving them clothes they’ll love to wear and show off. Before I agreed to join the Sol La La advisory board, I took a Sol O on vacation. I put it to the test in Mexico on a trip with my sister, niece and daughter - the family fashionistas. It looked great with so many outfits and was effective at blocking the sun. My Sol O earned the family fashionistas' thumbs-up and this doctor’s seal of approval!"

  

Debi Feinman
Managing Director, Ogilvy and Mather New York (Ret.)

Debi has 25 years of Ogilvy and Mather experience. She has owned domestic and global client relationships and run a creative and production operating unit. Debi has worked across major client categories at Ogilvy, including retail, packaged goods, association marketing, social marketing, government and financial services. Her focus is always on building smart strategic platforms for clients that result in communications that help solve clients' marketing issues.

Debi joined the Sol La La advisory board because she believes in the brand. "I've marketed brands from Cotton to Castrol and I like what I see in Sol La La. This brand solves an important problem and does so with style and simplicity. It is well positioned for today's fashion conscience, sun-smart, comfort seeking consumer."

 

Cathy Hoffman Glosser
Senior Vice President, Licensing at Condé Nast Publications

Cathy is a senior licensing and merchandising executive with a strong sales and product strategy background. She has expertise with corporate, celebrity and entertainment properties. Cathy is known for strategic planning, brand management and driving sales. Her focus is fashion apparel, home, international and digital marketing. 

Cathy joined the Sol La La advisory board because she thinks, "Fashion first is the way to making women comfortable with UV protection. Every piece in the Sol La La collection delivers style and function. It's fabulous."

 

Aimee Kaufman, CPA 
Owner, Priority Accounting Solutions, LLC

Aimee specializes in helping small business owners establish accurate and efficient accounting procedures. Over the past 30 years, she has helped many CEOs improve the management of their financial information and grow their small enterprises. Aimee is a CPA and Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with women just starting out in business by teaching seminars at the Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship Corp. in Chatham NJ. She is a member of New Jersey's Women in Warren Business Networking and Women in New Providence Networking groups. 

Aimee joined the Sol La La advisory board because she loves startups established by women, for women. "Abby's attention to detail and ability to put all the pieces in place are the perfect formula for success. I watched her turn a great idea into a great company with an innovative product and a strong financial structure. I am excited to 'step into the sun' with Abby."

 

Ellen Rothstein
Account Director, JWT Advertising (Ret.)

Ellen’s 30+ years in advertising was spent developing the marketing and advertising plans for many favorite national brands including clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Revlon and Pfizer. She was responsible for analyzing product categories, competitive messaging, business plans and consumer pathways in an effort to identify the best positioning opportunity and communication plan for her clients' brands.

Ellen joined the Sol La La advisory board because of her admiration for Abby and the unqualified respect she has for Abby's business acumen. “I have been awestruck by Abby’s ability to create this amazing line of beautiful, ‘sun friendly’ clothing from the ground up. She has dug deep into the mindset of her consumer to develop a line of ‘must have’ clothes for anyone who enjoys stepping out into the sun.”