Even as a young child, Darci Schurig had a love for entrepreneurship. In elementary school, she remembers riding the school bus and selling bracelets and Play-Doh to her classmates.
In fourth grade, she started her first official business, Coloring Express, where she sold melted crayon creations that she made in cupcake tins. After earning a degree in management with an emphasis in entrepreneurship in 2008, Schurig moved to her next venture: founding her own modest clothing and swimwear company named Pink Desert.
“I’ve always loved the creative process of entrepreneurship, including coming up with new ideas and creating things that other people want,” Schurig explains. While she was at BYU Marriott, Schurig noticed a need in the market for trendy, modest swimwear.
After her graduation, Schurig and her husband moved to southern California. She worked full-time in the fashion district and took classes to learn more about designing her own collection. “At the time, my husband and I could not afford to start a company, so I put my dreams on hold,” Schurig explains. “After we moved to Las Vegas, I finally started Pink Desert.”
In 2017, when her company was four years old, Schurig fulfilled her dream to design her own collection. However, the road to make this dream a reality was not an easy one. She recalls driving to Los Angeles to talk to a manufacturer—the sky was pouring rain, and she initially got lost. “I remember driving down the freeway and thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, this could sink my company. What if no one likes my designs?’ Taking that step was so scary, but I knew that I would never find success unless I tried.”
Once Schurig showed the manufacturer her ideas—which he loved—many of her fears were calmed, and she got to work making her collection a reality. “Sometimes when you have your sights set on something you want to pursue, reaching that dream feels unattainable,” she says. “I had to put one foot in front of the other and keep working toward my goals.”
Another goal Schurig reached was opening her first brick-and-mortar store in 2019. “I put a lot of thought and prayer into the decision, and I had a good feeling. I am always prayerful about my business ventures because God has helped me along this entire journey and aided me in becoming successful,” she explains. “I’m so grateful we decided to open the store, because doing so elevated our brand and built brand awareness.”
For Schurig, an important aspect of the Pink Desert brand is making sure that the company can build a community of women who feel confident and comfortable wearing Pink Desert products. “Our vision statement is ‘By women, for women, empowering women through fashion,’” she says. “This vision drives everything we do in our company. I’ve tried to build a culture of positivity and community, and I sincerely want our team to feel like family.”
Schurig’s company is run solely by women committed to creating a stylish brand and working hard. “I remember once when I was going through a hard trial, my mom said, ‘Darci, you can get through this, because women can do hard things,” she shares. “That statement has been ingrained in the foundation of my company because building this business from the ground up was so difficult, and my team experiences challenges every day. However, I continue to remind the women on my staff that we have the strength to accomplish hard things and create an amazing company together.”
