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, Trina Turk's mother taught her to sew when Turk was just 11-years-old. She 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. Other jobs designing mostly juniors followed.

Realizing that her resumé wasn’t likely to bring offers to design a line of contemporary clothing for women, Trina Turk’s next step was the launch of her own business. 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. A year later the company opened a boutique in Palm Springs, another in Los Angeles in 2003 and New York in 2006. Trina’s most current honor was being awarded The Fashion Achievement at the LA Fashion Awards in 2005.