Trina Turk
Designer
Trina Turk Boutiques

Trina Turk considers herself lucky on two counts. First because she knew at a fairly young age what she wanted to do when she grew up--to design clothing professionally-- and second, because she is succeeding at doing it beyond her wildest dreams. An old adage suggests, “Luck favors the prepared mind.” While it’s true that Turk was well prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that came her way, as a matter of fact, luck had very little to do with the phenomenal growth of her business.

Born in California and raised there and in the state of Washington, her mother taught her to sew when Turk was just 11-years-old. As a teenager, She and her friends shopped at thrift stores, collecting garments from the '30's, 40's and '50's. "We realized early on that the quality of these garments you were buying for $3.99 was way beyond any designer piece you could go into Neiman's and buy. All that obsessive thrift store shopping was a great education in construction and textiles." Trina studied fashion design at the University of Washington and took her first job with the Seattle-based sportswear manufacturer, Britannia Jeans. Turk’s next stop was Los Angeles where she waded into a sea of 30 prints per season designing surfwear for Ocean Pacific. She also designed sweatshirts and other sportswear for B.U.M. Equipment.

Realizing that her resumé wasn’t likely to bring offers to design a line of contemporary clothing for women, Turk’s next step was the launch of her own business sans even a business plan. With her husband, then a stylist, now photographer Jonathan Skow and production manager Lyne Lee as partners, Trina Turk, the company, was born in 1995. In the same year her clothing was sold by Barney’s New York, Fred Segal, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

With design and production headquartered in Alhambra, California, Trina Turk’s sales topped 16 million in 2001. A year later the company opened a boutique in Palm Springs, and another in Los Angeles in 2003. Bringing a touch of California to the Meat Packing District, Trina opened her New York boutique in December 2006. A fan of designer Jonathan Adler’s work at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel, Turk felt his uninhibited style was a perfect match for her vision for this New York boutique, which resulted in 2500 sq ft in 70's décor and vibrant palettes.

Trina’s most current honor was being presented with The Fashion Achievement Award at the LA Fashion Awards in 2005. In 1998, she received the California Designer of the Year Award. Trina and Jonathan were presented in 2004 with a Palm Springs MODCOM Preservation Award for restoration of their "Ship of the Desert" home. This award is given with the hope of inspiring others to be good stewards of the heritage of mid-century buildings. Their home in Los Angeles was feature in Elle Décor July/August 2007

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