From the CIA to Sleepwear: Meet Emily Hikade, Founder of Petite Plume

Welcome toSecond Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who’ve made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.

Emily Hikade is designing sleepwear fit for royalty—quite literally. As the founder and CEO of luxury sleepwear brand Petite Plume, Hikade has garnered the attention of royals including Prince George and the kids of major celebrities such as George and Amal Clooney and Jimmy Fallon—to name a few. Petite Plume has forged a new niche in the sleepwear industry through its European-inspired, premier-quality sleepwear. Designed with unparalleled attention to detail and sophisticated craftsmanship while being incredibly comfortable and fabricated in chemical-free cotton, Hikade’s pajamas are tailored to perfection.

Since its launch in 2015, Petite Plume has been picked up by major retailers including Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and J. Crew, and is carried in over 500 luxury boutiques with a dynamic product offering ranging from men, women, and children to home and sleep accessories.

Before Hikade dreamt of the coziest sleep essentials, she lived a drastically different life. For almost 15 years, she lived and worked around East Africa and the Middle East, focused on counterterrorism as a member of the CIA. And while Hikade certainly loved her position in the CIA, it took a near-death situation for her to completely reevaluate her career goals. Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Hikade made one of the most dramatic career pivots we’ve seen thus far and how she plans to continue evolving the luxury sleepwear industry.

And keep scrolling to shop some of Petite Plume’s latest arrivals.