Today we celebrate a special birthday at Dushi Designs HQ and think this is the perfect time for a little introduction for our new followers. Let’s spill the tea on what Dushi Designs is all about, bust some myths about who is behind Dushi Designs and share some random facts about this little island beach brand with the big plans!
13 FACTS ABOUT DUSHI DESIGNS:
We get asked this question soooooo many times.... “WHO is the team behind Dushi Designs?”.... Most people assume that Dushi has a team of people working behind the scenes but the truth is there is just one person... Yep, that’s right... Just ONE!
I often get DM’s starting with, “Yo, what’s up brother?!”... and, “Hey, dude..” which always makes me giggle because I am in fact a female! A girl with big dreams wanting to spread my love of Aruba and the island lifestyle to the rest of the world.
One misconception is that Dushi Designs is only available in a physical store on the island of Aruba but this is wrong... First and foremost Dushi is an online brand. Yes, Dushi does have merchandise stocked in several stores in Aruba, including our official flagship store the Sunset Shack, Beauty Curves by Nickii and the Amsterdam Manor, but most of our customers order online from overseas. Dushi ships worldwide from warehouses in the USA and Europe and we have customers located as far and wide as Australia, Budapest, Singapore and the U.K. Although it didn't start out like this... I can still remember selling online via Facebook and Instagram and driving around the island at all hours of the day and night to deliver t-shirts and round beach towels to local customers!
For the first 18 months of business I didn't take a salary or wage because I invested every cent made back in to the business. I took any job I could to help pay the bills during this time, from freelance web design, property managing and even cleaning toilets. I didn’t care what I had to do, just as long as I could survive whilst working on getting Dushi established. So if anyone thinks setting up an online brand will make you an overnight success or millionaire... Think again! The hustle is real and it takes hard work, determination, self belief and a hell of a lot of passion to make it in this industry.
I left home when I was 19 years old... And moved to a Greek island! Living on my own in a foreign country taught me so much and I would highly recommend it to everyone!
I got bitten by the travel bug at an early age and always felt like I had some kind of gypsy blood running through my veins. I became a master at living out of a suitcase and would always have my passport ready so I could take off on an adventure at a moments notice. Collecting passport stamps is a healthy addiction that I don’t plan on quitting any time soon.
I used to work as a flight attendant and one of my regular routes was New York. Manhattan became my home from home and it’s still one of my all time fave cities to visit now, even though I have been hundreds of times.
I love island life, but I hate “island time”.... Which for anyone who knows me personally will probably laugh out loud when they read this because back in the day I was known for being late for EVERYTHING! In fact my Mama would say, “You’ll be late for your own funeral!” Ha! Being the last-minute-queen was a standing joke between my friends, they knew if they arranged to meet me for a night out they would have to tell me at least one hour earlier than the real time. Now I am slightly older I can get bugged out by tardiness and don’t always have the patience for people on “island time”... Oh how things have changed! Ha!
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I LOVE creating new engaging content for Dushi Designs but HATE the scrutiny and comparison that comes with it. I am a firm believer in collaboration over competition and I think there is room at the top for all of us.
I love to cook and my fave cuisine is Spanish Tapas. Some of the best food I have eaten from around the world has been pimientos from a back street tapas bar in Barcelona and sticky coconut rice from a street vendor in Thailand. But my go to comfort food is probably arepas and patacon. Mmmmmm!!!!
I quit college to pursue my dreams of traveling the world. And haven't looked back since!
Why the name DUSHI?... When it came to deciding on a name I just knew it had to be Dushi. Pronounced doo-she. It’s probably one of the first words that every tourist learns when visiting One Happy Island and it can be heard on a daily basis throughout Aruba. It means sweet, love, sweetheart or can be used mean something is pretty awesome.
If I had to describe myself in three words I would say... A. BEACH. BUM. I never like to big myself up so here’s how my friends would describe me: Kind, confident, a free spirit, maybe even a little wild at times (although I am a geek at heart), strong-willed, thoughtful, a dancing queen, determined, party girl, globe-trotter and hard working.
So there’s a little insight into my world, the story behind Dushi and a few random facts about my life. Let me know if you want to know more and what kind of topics you would like me to cover in future blogs. I would love to hear your stories too... Are you a fellow girl boss? What dreams are you chasing? Are you an island lover like me?... Leave a comment or send a DM.
Make sure you are following Dushi Designs on Instagram and Facebook for your daily dose of all things tropical, island living and travel inspo.
Insta: www.instagram.com/dushidesigns
FB: www.facebook.com/dushidesigns
Use code: BIRTHDAYLOVE to receive up to 50% OFF your online purchase between now and Tuesday 15 January 2019. Discount applies to select items. Offer only valid online at:
