Kola Zubair- “If I know what I want to do, then I’ll just place it on the table, sit down with it, and just imagine it the way it’s going to come out. You communicate with the fabric." At thirty-one years old, Kola already has over two decades of experience developing his craft. Kola Zubair- "In Africa, we believe if you want to know how to make clothes, you have to go to a small shop to learn how to do that, and from there, you’re gonna move up with your life and set up your own business with yourself. That’s what we do. And I studied with a designer from grade three. That was when I was nine years old." After his apprenticeship, Kola primarily made men’s clothing in Nigeria, starting with jeans, polo shirts, and blazers. Over the years he began to make dresses as well, and women’s wear became the bulk of his work. With the encouragement of his grandmother, he emigrated to the United States to advance his skills as a designer and started managing what was then her sewing business in East Hartford, before taking it over himself. While he did encounter challenges in the creation of Kozby World Fashions which is now known as ZUBAIR, he didn’t see his recent immigrant status as a factor.