About Our Founder - Carmeli
In her youth, Carmeli always dreamt of creating her own women’s intimate apparel brand. In 2009, with 15 years of experience in the international fashion industry on her resume, mother to four children - Carmeli decided she would make her dream come true.
As a child, Carmeli spent most of her time travelling between Paris and Athens, absorbing the European culture. In 1996, she began her fashion studies at Paris university ESMOD - the most reputable fashion school in Paris. Fashion became Carmeli's passion. Drawing silhouettes, original designs and sewing extravagant costumes was all she did in her spare time for three years. The French environment in Paris was an ideal inspiration. Walking on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, attending art exhibitions at The Louvre museum, visiting lace factories of luxurious French handmade lace manufacturers such as Desseilles and volunteering to dress models at Haute Couture fashion shows of famous designers such as Karl Lagerfeld or Jean Paul Gaultier - these were the times when she was inspired most.
In her final year of studies, Carmeli decided to direct her expertise to the art of Lingerie.
“The amount of thought and creativity you can implement in such small, petite items that must be not only beautiful on the hanger but also beautiful on the feminine body is incredible. The delight is in the challenge of designing such items but also ensuring they are comfortable and enable the woman to let herself roam free in any aspect possible.”
All the attributes that were involved in creating lingerie were fascinating challenges which Carmeli wanted to learn more about.
With her New Born first child, Carmeli was offered a job opportunity at Pacific Brands, Australia, and so it came that Carmeli travelled to Melbourne together with her husband and one-year-old daughter. During her flourishing career at Pacific Brands where she managed the underwear and socks design teams of Holeproof, she savoured the knowledge she was gaining from her overseas travels while developing her public relations skills and her technical manufacturing knowledge.
After almost seven years in Pacific Brands, it was time for a change - a change that could give Carmeli enough time to juggle her now 6-person family, and allow her to continue her passion, developing her business career as well.
“No, it is not easy to do both career and family, but if you have such a loving family and enjoyable career, then it is certainly worth it. Sometimes it seems impossible, but my passion for both is what keeps me going.”
During Carmeli's experience in the intimate apparel department, she designed many different styles of underwear. Being a mother and business woman opened her eyes to understand how much comfort is crucial.
“Why seamfree? Well, Coming back home after a long day at work with a wire bra digging into my skin was just as uncomfortable as wearing high heels all day long! As a businesswoman and a mother of four children, I could not spend my time separating underwear colours or washing items individually. Constantly having side seams crack and everyone asking me to cut off their itchy clothing labels also added to the list of worries that I didn’t have time for.”
With her vast technical experience and expertise, it became evident to Carmeli the only technology that offered undergarment items in a long-lasting quality which suited every modern lifestyle was seamfree, yarn knitting technology.
Seamfree offered a durable, hugging fit, with sizing flexibility and the possibility to knit engineered support areas in the garment without seams. This allowed the perfect fit, support and shaping as well as fashion textures and letter knitting while eliminating any scratchy labels.
This was how the inspiration for B Free Intimate Apparel was generated - the crucial need for everyday comfort underwear that lasts.
Today, ten years since the birth of B Free, Carmeli manages a thriving empire, growing every day as more and more women experience B Free and fall in love with the wholesome quality of the brand.
Carmeli takes pride in providing quality intimate apparel to women at all stages of life: young girls with developing bodies, women at home, working or travelling ladies, mothers and mothers-to-be, sportswomen, ladies post surgery, disabled women or simply women who need natural fibre for sensitive skin.
"Knowing that we are changing what it means to be a woman every day provides me with so much satisfaction! Hopefully, one day, no longer will any woman arrive home, and feel that the first thing she must do is remove her bra because of its lack of comfort."