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. 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, 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. In the same year her clothing was sold by Barney’s New York, Fred Segal, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
