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Trina Turk Reflects on 25 Vibrant Years of Design, Remains Optimistic

Photos by Dewey Nicks

Twenty-five years after launching her eponymous brand, Trina Turk is committed to spreading a mission of optimism. During a year of unprecedented global challenges, strife and struggle, Turk is observing her company’s milestone after growing the label into a lifestyle brand that is bright and uplifting.

“Sometimes I think fashion is undervalued. Fashion and design aren’t [viewed as] critical to life, but in a way they are,” Turk said. “Trina Turk, the brand, has always been about optimism. That is really important right now during this time.”

Earlier in the year, the designer launched a special anniversary collection called 25 Years of Color, which featured Turk’s trademark vibrant colors of Trina pink, blue-splash blue, red-hot red, buttercup yellow and rainbow patterns that reflect the brand’s cheerful disposition. Turk’s 2020 is closing with her Spring 2021 and Holiday collections.

She also has released a self-titled book, “Trina Turk,” a collection of kind words from fashion-and-interior-design experts, commentary from Turk, vibrant prints from her brand over the years, and an array of photographs showcasing past fashion collections; inspiration from designers such as Bill Blass, Livio De Simone, Christian Dior, Rudi Gernreich, Emilio Pucci and Ken Scott; home-design projects and the designer living a joyful, color-filled life as the embodiment of her brand. Dedicated to her late husband, photographer and Mr. Turk designer Jonathan Skow, who passed away in 2018, the book was also an opportunity for Turk to honor the work that he performed during their extraordinary life together.

“Twenty-five years is a milestone, and I wanted to document a part of what I’ve been up to for the past 25 years,” Turk said. “Also, my husband and partner, Jonathan Skow, did a lot of our photography, so I wanted to document some of the photos he had taken.”

As noted in her book, she feels inspiration can be drawn from any source, though most of the designer’s inspiration has stemmed from her travels, which have decreased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the book, she shares dreamlike photos from her time spent exploring stunning sites in Bodrum, Turkey; Taormina and Capri, Italy; Slot Canyons, Utah; Tangier, Morocco; Kyoto, Japan; Havana, Cuba; and Honolulu, Hawaii, in addition to imagery showcasing the beauty of California, where she resides. Recently, she has embraced the joy of road tripping.

“Palm Springs has been a constant source of inspiration. I have been road tripping around California and am thankful to be in California during the shutdown because there are places we can go and different landscapes we can see that are pretty close to us because we live here,” Turk explained. “I’ve driven all the way up to Washington and back again with my sister. You have to be very careful about how you do it, but it’s doable.”

Treating herself and her fans to special, uplifting products over the course of 2020, while remaining cognizant of the challenges ahead, Turk sees this unusual moment in time as a crossroads. This is the time for this joy-inspiring designer to think about her next 25 years.

“This is an opportunity for dramatic change,” Turk said. “I don’t want to let the opportunity go by without figuring out what the next thing is or how a fashion business can be more sustainable or more relevant or any of those things. This year has brought up a lot of ideas as to what is important and what is not important. More sustainable, more relevant, more inclusive—all of those things—so those are conversations we are having right now.”