Trina Turk celebrates 25 years of happy, colorful style done right.
Trina Turk’s brand is as colorful and pattern-happy as when she first launched it.
Since 1995, Trina Turk’s bold clothing and accessories have brought a pattern-happy aesthetic to the world that is tailor-made for Miami. Here, the West Coast designer reminisces on career-defining moments, her biggest challenges and what’s fresh, new and, of course, colorful for a stylish tropical spring.
Congratulations on 25 years of success! What inspired you to launch your own brand? I started the company with a desire to design something I would wear myself, using better fabrics and more contemporary styling. [Until then] I had designed mostly for junior companies. I was also interested in being my own boss after having learned what not to do after working as a designer for 12 years prior to starting Trina Turk.
How has your business changed over the years? The color and print DNA of our collections remains true to our beginnings, but the business side and the way people shop has changed dramatically. E-commerce is of course much more important, and becoming a retailer ourselves has also changed the way we look at our business. We can create exclusive product for our stores and website and cater exclusively to specific client groups we have cultivated over the years.
Your brand is so popular in Miami. What’s new at your Biscayne Boulevard store these days? Our spring 2020 Made in the Shade Trina Turk and Mr Turk collections are in store, along with the latest women’s swimwear in an expanded range of sizes including 16W to 22W. We’re excited to launch a special 25th anniversary capsule collection, which will hit the stores and our website in mid-March. It’s a standout pink-based print with an accompanying rainbow stripe for ready-to-wear, swimwear and accessories.
What do you see as the big sellers in Miami from your new spring 2020 collection? The anniversary capsule collection is perfect for Miami. My favorite pieces are the Arco Iris dress and the Theodora caftan for women, and the engineered border camp shirt from the Mr Turk collection. Our Theodora caftans are perennial bestsellers—some of our clients even collect them. Besides the showstopper prints, these are versatile pieces that you can wear as a dress, a top or a swimwear cover-up. In Mr Turk, the Meadowlark Jacquard suiting will add a touch of fun to any Miami event.
What’s next for you and your brand, and what do you want to achieve in the next 25 years? In addition to the 25th anniversary capsule collection launching in March, I’m also working on a book to commemorate the occasion, which will be out in the fall. 7200 Biscayne Blvd., Miami, 786.409.4383
Photography by: Dewey Nicks
