What is Dushi?

Dushi is a Papiamento term meaning "sweet", "precious", or "sweetheart". Papiamento is a Creole language spoken on the Caribbean ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, & Curacao) Islands.

Why the name Dushi Trade?

Dushi Trade is the brainchild of creative director Leah Nolden:
"Being a creative individual and having interacted with my counterparts, I realized that we have a tendency to feel that any of our creations are our 'babies'... hence the jewelry designed at Dushi Trade are our 'precious' babies".

Who is the Dushi Trade Team?

Leah Nolden
Owner, Creative Director

Relocating to New York from E. St. Louis, Illinois in the winter of 2001, Leah Nolden continues to test the waters in pursuit of her goal to make strides within the fashion industry. Graduating in 2000, summa cum laude, with a BS from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Leah majored in apparel design (Menswear specialization) and minored in art & design. "I've always known that if I wanted to make inroads in the world of fashion, I would have to move to one of the coasts."

Upon moving to NYC, Leah served as an intern with fashion company, Kenneth Cole Productions. Through this opportunity, she gained experience assisting and dressing models behind the scenes for their Spring and Fall 2002 fashion shows. Leah landed her first full-time position in the fashion industry at Randa Corp., one of the industry's largest men's accessory licensees. There she worked in the position of Merchandising Assistant. In this position, she assisted in planning neck wear lines from concept (brainstorming with merchandisers and textile designers on season's color palette and textile design) to finished product. But after a year and a half at Randa Corp., Leah realized that merchandising was not the career path for her. "It was fun assisting and researching to come up with ideas and seeing the finished necktie, but I wanted to design accessories, not merchandise them. I had to move on so I could eventually concentrate on doing so."

During a majority of her stay in NYC, Leah worked at book publishing giant Random House, in the capacity of receptionist and later became an Editorial Assistant where she honed her computer and organizational skills. "My first love is fashion and music, yet I have no roots in NYC. So, I had to be realistic. I couldn't be a 'starving and free spirited' artist. A sister has to have a place to sleep, food to eat and there are always those annoying things called bills that have to be paid!" Leah also recently held a 6+ year post at major sports media giant ESPN within their Digital Media Business Operations department.

Aside from operating Dushi Trade, Leah actively participates in AIDS, Breast Cancer Awareness, and Lupus Awareness and Reseach fundraising events and does the occasional fashion styling for photography.

After residing in Brooklyn, NY for over a decade, Leah has recently relocated back to southern Illinois where Dushi Trade will now be headquartered.