Welcome back to Behind the Brand—a series that brings you closer to the brands who grace our walls at the edit by Style Canada located in the heart of NOTL. We’re sharing real stories from the people behind the products—the makers, the dreamers, and the doers. This is your inside scoop on what drives them, what inspires them, and how their journeys brought them to the edit. One brand at a time, we’re pulling back the curtain and celebrating the creativity, resilience, and homegrown passion that make our space so special. Today, we chatted with Chizoba Udeh-Martin from ZOBA MARTIN.
Meet Chizoba Udeh-Martin
Web | Social: @zobamartin & @zobamartinbridal
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Chizoba Udeh-Martin. I was born in Nigeria, of the Igbo tribe and moved to Canada when I was sixteen. My fashion journey started in 2016, when my first client asked me to make her a wedding dress, and I officially launched ZOBA MARTIN in 2019. I spent years focused on couture, one of one bridal pieces built entirely by hand, and I trained at LaSalle College of Fashion before continuing to sharpen my craft, including a masterclass in Ghana focused on couture and designing for plus size bodies. Lately I have been taking my couture skills and folding them into ready to wear, so more people can experience the same care and construction in pieces that are easier to reach.
Share the story behind your brand.
When I was a kid, I watched my aunt hand make her own wedding dress, satin and pearls, stitched with so much love. My mother went to fashion school too, so I grew up surrounded by women who made clothes as a matter of course. In Nigeria, that is just how it works. You have an event, you go to your tailor, and you build something from scratch, different sleeves, different cuts, different colors. It is creative and it is normal.
When I moved to Canada, I realized custom made clothing was not the norm here the way it is in Nigeria, and ZOBA MARTIN was born to bring that same tradition of handmade, made for you clothing into this market. Bridal and couture remain the heart of what I do, but I have also started teaching sewing as a passion project because I want more people making their own clothes, and I have been experimenting with fabrics beyond bridal to create statement, ready to wear pieces that let people stand out.
Photo provided by Chizoba Udeh-Martin
What inspires you?
Walking into a fabric store and seeing what different textures could become together, tulle and lace is one of my favorites. My clients inspire me too. I love learning who they are and watching how they move in different silhouettes. Color inspires me, whether I am working monochromatic or blending unexpected combinations. And I am drawn to space and airiness in what I build, along with the occasional sparkle. There is a lot that moves me, but it usually starts with fabric in my hands.
If your company was a person at a dinner party, how would they show up?
In a pink feathered silk dress with an open back and a matching coat. Dramatic, a full statement from head to toe, nails done, bold earrings, and a big smile walking through the door.
What’s one piece of advice you can give anyone thinking about making their big idea into reality?
Just start. Start from the tiniest piece of the idea you have, whatever moves the needle even slightly. Tell people about it. Share it. Momentum compounds, and that small first step becomes something much bigger over time. You already know what your first move is. Take it.
What can we expect from your brand in the coming year?
More people wearing ZOBA MARTIN, in more places. I want the brand to travel globally, so that wherever it shows up, people know a Canadian designer built it, and know that a Nigerian woman built it too. Representing both well, and giving people something to be proud of, is exactly where I am headed.
