Litany: Designed With A Higher Purpose in Mind
CROWN HEIGHTS — The expression “Wear your heart on your sleeve” is a time-honored phrase. But there’s one fashion line that is offering women the chance to wear their faith on their sleeves — literally.
Litany, an online clothing line started three years ago by two Catholic women, Veronica Marrinan and Olivia Swinford, sells dresses, blouses, scarves, and other accessories infused with faith.
So much so, that many of the clothing items are named in honor of saints, Bible passages, and other religious themes.
There’s the Resurrection Dress, the Holy Family Scarf, and the Immaculata Blouse, among many other items.
One popular item, the Fleur Dress, is shaped like an upside down rose and features a large ruffle at the bottom. It was inspired by the roses that were on the Blessed Mother’s feet when she appeared to St. Bernadette at Lourdes.
Even the company’s name, Litany, was inspired by faith. It refers to the litany of saints.
Litany’s debut line, which came out in 2020, was named the Lourdes Collection in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes, and is still among the company’s most popular. It features such items as the Bernadette Dress, the Regina Vest, and the Our Lady of Lourdes Silk Scarf.
Marrinan, who grew up in Long Island, and Swinford, who is originally from Arizona, met when they were college freshmen — Marrinan at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Swinford at Parsons, the New School for Design.
While Swinford helped create Litany and was there in the beginning, she is no longer associated with the company. She left to answer God’s call to live the life of a woman religious. She is currently a novice with the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne and is known as Sister Maria Dominique.
While she lives in Crown Heights, Marrinan attends the Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village and teaches faith formation at St. Vincent Ferrer on the Upper East Side.
Back in college, Marrinan and Swinford ran in the same Catholic undergraduate circles and would often attend young adult Masses at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The two students also found themselves in the same Bible study group.
The two would grab coffee together at The Catholic Center at NYU and many of those get-togethers included sewing. “Father Sebastian White was the chaplain there at the time and he would allow us to keep our sewing machine and work there,” recalled Marrinan.
Their sewing sessions soon led to discussions of creating their own clothing line. But they were determined that their fashion would have a higher purpose. “We wanted well-made, beautiful clothes that would reflect the idea that you, too, are beautiful and well made by our Creator,” Marrinan explained.
After graduating from their respective schools, they got Litany off the ground. The company is now headed by Marrinan, who is also the chief designer. She has three employees. Much of the work is done in her living room.
Litany is a made-to-measure clothing company, meaning that customers select the item they want to buy and then submit their measurements. The clothes are made and shipped to them. “We believe that you shouldn’t have to fit into your clothing. Your clothing should fit into you,” Marrinan explained.
She hopes that women can come to see clothing as something more than just garments. “I’d like to encourage people to see that getting dressed can be seen as a prayer and a place to be intimately close with God so that you speak to Him before you start your day,” she explained.
For more information on Litany, visit: litanynyc.com
