We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chizoba Udeh-Martin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chizoba below.

Chizoba, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

My first client was literally me shooting my shot. My friend was getting married then, and I had the crazy idea of asking her if I could make her wedding dress, and she said yes! She was so happy I asked; I took the job very seriously, from fabric sourcing to paying attention to what she wanted in a wedding gown. She trusted me to execute and deliver. She was impressed with her wedding dress, my first-ever wedding dress, a proud moment, and the confidence boost I needed to propel.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi, I’m Chizoba, and in the summer of 2014, I decided to move to Toronto from Ottawa after uni to enroll in a fashion program. Fast forward to 2016, I finished a diploma in fashion and released my very first collection, and the crowd cheered. I enjoyed the entire process and decided to dedicate more time to perfecting my craft as a designer.

Over time as I tried to figure out what fashion I liked and would like to change, I decided that fast fashion was neither for me nor the environment. I decided to be more intentional with my creations by custom-creating pieces that speak to clients and understand their bodies and personalities, I also create ready-to-wear items and enjoy teaching people how to sew. I believe that if more people have custom-made designs, they’ll take better care of the outfit, and it is less likely going to end up in landfills.

I dedicate some of my time to teaching more people how to sew so that more and more people can learn how to fix their own garments.

Fun fact: in 2022, I went on CBC’s Dragons Den and pitched my business to the dragons. An exciting and courageous move for me, you can check it out on Season 17, episode 10.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes! We should all be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

The initial capital of my business was from savings from a job at an insurance company. I put aside money for every paycheck, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was saving for, but I knew this money would eventually come in handy. In January 2019, when I got fed up with being at a place I didn’t find fulfilling, I took a leap of faith, quit the job, and used the money saved to acquire the equipment I need to run my company full-time and have been doing so since then!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.zobamartin.com
• Instagram: @zobamartin
• Facebook: zobamartin.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chizoba-udeh-martin/
• Twitter: @zoba_martin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zobamartin5095

Image Credits
The fifographer Jordy Clarke Photo F10 photography