Our Story
At the beginning of 2021, the travel itch was in full swing. We had spent the past year in and out of COVID lockdowns, living in family members' basements, and working in bedrooms. To escape reality, we started planning trips to the beach, the lake, and anywhere that was open for business.
Like most of the country, we had spent the last year of our lives in exercise clothes. It was time for some wardrobe improvements to help make us feel and look good on our much-needed vacations. And thus, the dreaded online hunt for vacation clothing began. With no one-stop shop for resort wear, we wasted an embarrassing amount of time and money trying to shop for well- made, reasonably priced cover-ups. The blaring gap in the market for vacation apparel was jumping out at us.
To help fix our own shopping troubles, we decided to build a brand that focuses on creating stylish, comfortable cover-ups. So, we launched Sitano together.
We are proud to be a female-founded company. Having met in middle school, we have survived some very awkward stages of life together. From 8th grade civics projects to after school tennis matches, our friendship started in our youth and has evolved ever since. We parted ways for college and have not lived in the same city since but have certainly covered a lot of geography - Atlanta, Athens, Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans, Paris, Philadelphia, New York, and Charlotte. Our friendship and different life experiences have made coming back together to build this company so much fun and we are excited to see where it takes us.
Behind the Scenes
How'd She Do That Podcast
Listen to co-founder, Mary Scott Jameson, about the story behind the Sitano brand and the lessons they have learned along the way!
CO-FOUNDER
Mary Scott Jameson
An Atlanta native, Mary Scott Jameson, is Sitano’s co-founder and CEO/Creative Director. Mary Scott attended the University of Georgia with a B.A. in Art History and minor in Spanish. She began her career in fashion almost 10 years ago in the Neiman Marcus buying program in Dallas, TX as an assistant buyer. Since then she has pursued various positions in HR, conference and event planning, and business development in the multi-family real estate and alternative asset management industries. She enjoys sketching, running, playing tennis, hanging with friends and interviewing female founders on her podcast, She Had A Vision. She resides in New York with her husband, Walter.
CO-FOUNDER
Merrill Horridge
An Atlanta native, Merrill Horridge is Sitano's co-founder and COO. Merrill attended Rhodes College in Memphis, TN where she graduated with a BA in Business Administration. After college, she spent 9 years in New Orleans, LA where she attended Tulane University's Freeman School of Business and received her MA in Accounting and PMBA while working as a CPA. Merrill enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time with loved ones. Merrill currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband Sean, their son Collins, and their dog Callie.
CHIEF DOGGIE OFFICER
Meet Callie
She is Sitano's emotional - we mean customer - support representative and is here to answer any questions our customers might have. We are excited to have Callie as Sitano's first employee and we know that her constant smile and happy-go-lucky attitude will be a great addition to our team.
In her free time, Callie enjoys eating as much as she can and long car rides with her big head hanging out the window. She is not much of a runner and would prefer to take a nap than go on a walk.
Merch with a Mission
Reshma Saujani (Founder of Girls Who Code) founded Mom’s First in 2021, a platform supporting moms across the U.S. through three frameworks: transform workplace policies to work for moms, changing the narrative on how motherhood is viewed in the U.S., and to advocate for better paid leave and child care benefits for working mothers.
According to Mom’s First, since the pandemic, 1.1 million women are still out of the labor force and 58% of women said their mental health has declined.
We can’t wait to support this movement to encourage a better environment and culture for working mothers. Expect more exclusive merch with a mission in 2024!