Some businesses start with a grand plan. Ola started with a feeling—a gut instinct that something was missing in women’s underwear. Two women, frustrated by the discomfort of traditional underwear, decided to rewrite the rules. What began as a simple idea—creating the perfect pair of undies—quickly turned into a game-changing brand that has redefined basics, one amazing piece at a time.
The Women Behind the Brand
Ola is the brainchild of two co-founders: Nadine and Mel. They’re not corporate boardroom types. No jargon, no stiff suits—just two women who understand firsthand what it means to want comfort without compromise.
Ola wasn’t built on market research and trend forecasting. It was built on frustration. The kind that sneaks up on you when you’re constantly adjusting, pulling, and compromising on something as essential as underwear. Basics should feel effortless, but too often, they just don’t.
Mel and Nadine had both been there. Different lives, different experiences, but the same realisation: women deserved better.
Mel, a familiar face to many from her Instagram days, built a community around honesty—talking about life as it is, not as it’s curated to be. But beyond the captions and conversations, she was dealing with something so many women know too well: underwear that just didn’t work. Waistbands that rolled, straps that cut in, and fabrics that weren’t made to move with you. During COVID, when leggings became the official uniform and nothing seemed to fit right, she found herself constantly frustrated with underwear that either dug in, rolled down, or just felt wrong. She wanted something that wasn’t just wearable but liveable — and actually designed to move with a woman’s body. And she wasn’t alone.
Nadine, a self-proclaimed perfectionist and former beauty therapist, had spent years dedicated to making women feel their absolute best. She understood the power of confidence—how the smallest details, like the right skincare or the perfect fabric, could shift the way you carry yourself. But when it came to underwear? The options were underwhelming. The so-called “everyday essentials” weren’t living up to their name—tight in the wrong places, loose in others, never quite right. She wanted more. She had spent years settling for “one-size-fits-all” underwear that—spoiler alert—didn’t actually fit anyone properly. It was either too tight, too loose, or just completely unflattering. She knew there had to be something better—underwear that didn’t just feel good but actually looked good too.
That’s when the lightbulb moment hit.
The Birth of Ola: From Frustration to Innovation
They didn’t have a huge investment fund. There were no big corporate backers. Just a shared mission: to create underwear that actually feels good.
So, they did the work. They tested countless fabrics, rejected anything that felt even slightly restrictive, and obsessed over every design detail and The result? Second-skin underwear that women swear by.
But building Ola wasn’t just about creating a product; it was about rewriting the rules of what basics could be. No more outdated sizing charts. No more uncomfortable, over-designed lingerie. Just pure, effortless comfort—made for real bodies, real women, and real life.
Bootstrapped, Women-Led, and Breaking the Mold
Ola started small—just two women running every aspect of the business, from customer service to packing orders all our of a tiny granny flat in Nadine's backyard. As demand grew, so did the team. Today, Ola is still a tight-knit, women-led company, but one that has a warehouse and one that’s making serious waves in the fashion industry.
With over 80,000 customers, Ola has grown into a brand that customers don’t just buy from—they believe in. And at its core, it’s still powered by the same ethos: women should never have to think about their underwear—it should just work.
Welcome to Ola. Founded by women, for women. Designed for comfort. Built for confidence.
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