Turk learned to sew from her mother at eleven and studied apparel design at the University of Washington before launching the brand. What began as a contemporary womenswear line grew into a men's line, Mr. Turk, plus homeware and lifestyle pieces. The first namesake store opened in Palm Springs in 2002, and by 2012 the company reported around $60 million in annual sales.
The label collaborated with Banana Republic in 2012, debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2013, and designed a collection for Mattel's Barbie that same year. After her husband's death in 2018, Turk stepped back from CEO to serve as the brand's creative director, marking 25 years of color in 2020.