Fashion designer Trina Turk makes it work

Some self-assurance is helpful when plunging into the big, bold universe of Trina Turk.

Graphic prints and bold colors have defined the designer's look since she launched her own brand in 1995. Turk, who spent her junior-high and high-school years in Bellevue, seeks out prints with an artistic flair for her classic contemporary sportswear silhouettes. Her sensibility has clicked with women, with collections sold in major department stores and boutiques nationwide, plus Trina Turk retail stores in L.A., New York and Palm Springs.

Turk, 47, who worked at Britannia Jeans in Seattle and Ocean Pacific in Los Angeles before starting her line, appeared recently at the downtown Seattle Nordstrom to promote her fall collection. We talked to her via phone beforehand.

Q: How does one turn a degree from the University of Washington into a successful fashion career?

A: At the time, they had an apparel design degree. It doesn't exist anymore, in case anybody thinks they can go to the UW and get an apparel design degree!

Q: We were wondering: Where did you shop in the 1980s?

A: I would go thrift shopping all the time. We'd go to Value Village, St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill, and we bought a lot of vintage clothing, which was easy to find in the early '80s. We learned a lot about fabric and construction from that obsessive vintage shopping.

Q: How did you decide to design for a living?

A: My mom taught me how to sew when I was young. I was always really interested in it. Once I learned to sew, I realized the possibilities were endless. Sometimes people talk about how they can't really decide what they wanted to do; I was lucky that I never really had that problem.

Q: How did Trina Turk grow into a successful company?

A: We definitely had the right product at the right time when we started. We got into good stores right away, and I think that was helpful to get us off the ground. It's really been this slow and steady build since then.

Q: OK, we're sort of jealous, but instead we'll ask for advice: What career tips can you give aspiring "Project Runway" contestants?

A: Learn how to sew, and learn how to make patterns. There are a lot of designers now who somehow think you can design without knowing how a garment is constructed. I guess that's possible, but I find that somehow highly unlikely. I would advise working for other people for as long as you're learning something because it's a very, very competitive business. I worked for 12 years [before] I started my company and I sort of thought I knew everything I needed to know, and I was completely wrong.

Q: We also need some fashion advice. What could turn us into fashion roadkill this fall?

A: Shoes that you can't walk in, that's the only one I can think of. Maybe I'm such a fashion victim, I embrace it all! Shoes especially are getting more and more extreme and higher and higher. They look great on a runway and look great in a photo, but for walking down Fifth Avenue in the rain in Seattle, I don't know.

Q: Gray is the big neutral, but how do Seattleites avoid blending in with the weather?

A: I would encourage people to embrace some color, whether it's tights or a scarf or a sweater. Color livens you up a little bit — color and caffeine. We did a really bright hot pink and also kind of an electric blue color. Both of those colors work with all shades of gray. We did a lot of colored tights. Done well, it's really cool and updates things a bit.

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com