Turbine Fashion

Ask any well-dressed career woman in Nova Scotia and she’ll tell you Turbine is one of the best spots for unique, fashionable clothing.

But she won’t stop there.

She’ll also tell you Turbine has matching mineral-based make-up, chic jewelry and handbags to match. Think Jackie O meets Gwen Stefani and you get the idea.

And the story behind Turbine is almost as interesting as the clothing itself.

Turbine’s owner and principle designer is Lisa Drader-Murphy, an Alberta native who chose to re-locate to Nova Scotia in 1999, just when her clothing store chain and career were at their busiest.

Drader-Murphy recounts she was about to open her third store in Banff and had 22 employees working for her. Her clothing was extremely popular and she had just been named Alberta designer of the Year.

At the same time she was consulting to the industrial garment industry and designing bunker gear for firefighters, clothing for spelunking and flame-retardant race gear.

Something had to give.

“I was becoming well-known in the fashion industry. But at the same time, I was away 10 days of the month, I had a five year old and a one year old, and a husband who I wanted to see occasionally,” she says. “My kids were being raised by a nanny. I couldn’t continue at that pace. And I was only 28!”

Drader-Murphy was offered a position as director of design and product development with an industrial garment company in Nova Scotia. After much deliberation, she decided to take the position and move to her husband’s home province. She and her family settled in a beautiful historic farm house Falmouth, where she set up her studio and sold her clothing in a building on her property.

“We bought this big old house with an apple orchard. It had a farm kitchen, an old building for my studio and tons of room to be creative. Since then we’ve completely renovated the studio to make it into a modern industrial, creative space. It even has a café. We realized we were choosing this lifestyle, so we had to make it work,” she says.

And make it work she did. While continuing with her consulting contracts, she designed clothing and sold the Turbine line from her studio. A rural property in Falmouth is far from the streets of downtown Calgary, so she worked hard to draw people to visit the studio. At the same time, she worked with a network of boutiques to sell Turbine line through their stores in other parts of Canada.

“I love marketing. I needed those skills here. I had to work hard, but my challenge was to make Turbine into a destination that would draw people to Falmouth. It worked and I developed a loyal following,” she explains.

Drader-Murphy set her sights on Halifax for her next retail location. In 2008, she established Turbine’s flagship boutique on the Halifax waterfront at Bishop’s Landing, becoming the only flagship store in Atlantic Canada to be built around one designer. Although her friends in retail suggested Spring Garden Road, she believed Bishop’s Landing was the right spot.

“If I could attract people to Falmouth, I think I can get them to Bishop’s Landing,” she jokes.

Drader-Murphy still creates her clothing, jewelry and handbags, and develops her cosmetics line from her studio in Falmouth, but works in the Halifax boutique whenever possible. She is also well-connected in the business community through volunteer work with Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council and the Mount Saint Vincent University Centre for Women in Business.

Turbine is a strong supporter of local charities. Through the Turbine Fund, the company donates money and clothing to women’s charities. Drader-Murphy says she targets organizations that are not as well known, and provides support financially and through exposure at fashion events. The Turbine Fund has donated more than $70,000 since it was established in 2003.

Drader-Murphy enjoys the flexibility to diversify Turbine’s products to respond to market needs she sees in her daily life. With her daughter now 13 years old, she dreams of making the Turbine cosmetic line more appealing to a younger generation of teens.

“I have a business, but I’m also a mom. I’m hoping teenaged girls will come to Turbine to learn about fashion and how to wear cosmetics properly. And of course they would bring their mothers,” she laughs.

When it comes to Turbine cosmetics and accessories, Drader-Murphy says she personally tests them to make sure they’re of the highest quality.

“I truly believe in them and I use the cosmetics and wear the fabrics and designs myself. I have to believe in them and then I make them Turbine.”

She travels regularly to Montreal and New York to purchase fabrics to be used in her collections. She and her team produce 150 to 200 pieces each week, and Drader-Murphy produces a large portion of them herself.

Why are her clothes so popular?

Drader-Murphy attributes her success to making what she herself would wear. She creates pieces and collections that can multi-task and can be worn by any age group. They have to travel well and be easy to care for. Most of all they have to be classic, but acknowledge the latest trends.

“I’ve worked and travelled for business. I’ve been a work-from-home mom. I’ve worked in a factory, and lived in the city and the country. I figure there have to be other women like me,” she explains.

And there are. Drader-Murphy says her customer base is extremely loyal, with some customers visiting every week to buy a new piece of clothing or accessory.

“Nova Scotia has a calmer pace. People salute lifestyle balance here, they’re not just working in the hopes they’ll have balance someday, and they actually seek that balance daily. There is more of a now-ness here. It took longer to establish a customer base here, but the loyalty is second to none.”

Drader-Murphy says she hopes Turbine is an example for other designers and artists of how to succeed by following your passion.

“There is so much design talent in Nova Scotia and I want to show them that you don’t have to be a starving artist. You can have your own business and can be well-known nationally and internationally. A successful design career is accessible in Nova Scotia. All it takes is the passion and the creativity…and the wisdom to know the lifestyle here is worth the effort.”