Meet Trailblazer Lauren Turner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Turner.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Lauren. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed making t-shirts. When I was a kid, I was a sucker for tie-dye. In high school, I dressed my entire cross country team in hand-dyed shirts painted with weird inside jokes, obscure animals and phrases. In college, I would buy vintage shirts, cut them up and tie them back together in funky ways. I always thought about starting a clothing line, but it felt like a far-fetched idea that I would try down the road as a “real adult” once I had some business experience.

After graduating and struggling with the Atlanta job market for a few years, I sold off my belongings, packed up a car and headed west to Colorado, landing in the little river town of Buena Vista in 2015. Once there, I jumped headfirst into the outdoor community, enjoying everything Colorado had to offer. I started meeting people and began doing graphic design jobs for local businesses, and through my design work, I met Gerrit McGowan – a connoisseur of startups and entrepreneurship. Gerrit helped me realize that my dream of having an apparel company could be reality. Together, we decided that the outdoor community was in dire need of fresh t-shirt designs, and in that same year, Mountainwater Design was born.

Today, Mountainwater Design is a multifaceted business focused on apparel and graphic design. My life goal and business focus is to live a life of adventure, fueling and inspiring the creativity of my designs. Taking this focus to heart, I have hit the road, embracing van life, traveling across the US working, exploring and enjoying everything out there, with my husband, Walter and adventure dog, Mala!

Has it been a smooth road?
Starting and running your own business is never smooth. There are days when you’re on cloud nine and stoked to be doing what you love and then the next day you think “what was I thinking?! I can’t do this!” and you want to quit. My advice to young women is don’t put limitations on yourself. Never think that you don’t deserve to do something that you love just because it’s a different path than other people are taking. Remind yourself that you are talented and awesome and deserve success. Lastly, never be afraid to move into a van, travel and explore. If you can run your business from a coffee shop anywhere in the world, do it.

We’d love to hear more about Mountainwater Design.
Mountainwater Design is a multifaceted business focused on apparel and graphic design, with both sides of the business trending towards design inspired by outdoor activity.

Many of my graphic design clients are outdoor adventure-focused. For several years, I have designed for outdoor festivals such as CKS Paddlefest and 14erFest, and one of my largest clients currently is Eddyline Brewery (United States and New Zealand), whose tagline is “Beers for Any Adventure!” with label and can design focused on an outdoor adventure.

Mountainwater apparel is created for the outdoor adventurer. Designs are focused on activities such as rafting, kayaking, climbing, hiking, and snow sports. Currently, Mountainwater is a wholesale apparel company, selling printed apparel to retailers for resale, although I am looking to expand and have my own online store next year.

I specialize in hand-drawn artwork which is unique in the design industry and I pride myself in being able to capture a customer’s vision or create imagery that makes you want to go outside, or has you reminiscing about an adventure from the past.

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I believe that a lot of wonderful things have been happening and changing over the years for women and gender equality. While there is always an opportunity for growth, one of the best things to see is female empowerment and women banding together to lift each other up. The message out there is one of support – telling women to love their bodies, embrace their talents, speak up when you feel wronged, and stand up for what you believe in.
I think that right now, there’s a great opportunity for mentorship. By mentoring young girls and instilling in them the ideas of empowerment and success, the world can continue to grow and change into a place where there are less challenges for women.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mountainwaterdesign.com
• Email: mountainwaterdesign@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mountainwaterdesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mountainwaterdesign/

Image Credit:
Apparel images are all my own. Beer can image from Eddyline Brewery in Nelson New Zealand and Eddyline Brewery in Buena Vista, CO.

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