Bebe Was Instrumental in the Building of Trina Turk's Line

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Designer Trina Turk's colorful, printed collection for Banana Republic launches today. In honor of its debut, the LA Times took the time to visit and profile the designer at her home in Palm Springs. Though Turk primarily resides in Los Angeles, the aesthetic of Palm Springs has become an essential part of her brand's DNA.

As the LAT details, the California-born designer got her start in the industry at Ocean Pacific, and then moved on to Bum Equipment ("of the awful puff-printed sweat shirts"). After that experience, she decided to strike out on her own. In 1995, she put out a collection of "bright-colored silk dupioni separates screen-printed with giant photographic prints of flowers" financed by her parents, who took out a home equity loan to get her the money. Bebe, of all places, put in a $250,000 order, which provided enough cash for Turk to keep going. Her second collection was picked up by Fred Segal and the rest is history. The company is now worth 100 million.
· Trina Turk pairs up with Banana Republic for summer collection [LAT]
· The Limited-Edition Banana Republic Trina Turk Collection [Banana Republic]