Emily Hikade

Emily Hikade is the founder and CEO of Petite Plume, a luxury sleepwear and home company. In 2024, Hikade was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year and one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 200 Female Founders in 2023. Also in 2024, Petite Plume was included in the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.

Prior to launching Petite Plume, Hikade spent over fifteen years undercover in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), focusing on Counterterrorism. Serving mostly in austere conditions, she was on the frontlines of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. After a near plane crash during a mission, Hikade made the decision to seek out a significant career change.

In 2015, while still living and working abroad, she bootstrapped and launched Petite Plume. Without prior retail experience, Hikade built the company from the ground up and eventually evolved the business from a luxury sleepwear brand for the entire family to a full lifestyle brand that includes home, bedding and linens. Today, Petite Plume is available in nearly 500 stores nationwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus and is beloved by the Royal Family, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Hart, and so many more. In 2023, Esquire declared Petite Plume "The Best Damn PJs on the Planet."

Petite Plume is currently 100% founder-owned and has been profitable since launch.

Hikade has been featured in media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, VOGUE, Forbes, Esquire, The Today Show, GQ, People and many more. She has spoken at universities, premier business conferences and corporate events. Hikade’s specialty is self-defense and she has trained in Krav Maga and Muay Thai kickboxing -- skills which she has used minimally since starting Petite Plume.