From Aerospace To Beauty Sleep: How Laure Lagarde Is Revolutionizing Nighttime Rituals

What if your pillowcase could do more than just help you sleep? Emily’s Pillow, the French brand founded by Laure Lagarde, is redefining beauty sleep with 100% natural pure silk products designed to enhance skin, hair, and overall well-being.

A former aerospace engineer, Laure’s journey into silk started as a deeply personal mission—after experiencing alopecia, she discovered the transformative benefits of silk for hair and skin health. Now, with Emily’s Pillow officially launching in Canada, she’s bringing this luxurious, skin-friendly, and sustainable fabric to a whole new audience.

We sat down with Laure to talk about the science behind silk, the beauty benefits of her products, and why your nighttime routine deserves an upgrade. —Noa Nichol

Emily’s Pillow was born out of your personal journey, including your experience with alopecia. Can you share how this inspired you to create a brand centered around silk?

Fifteen years ago, when I discovered that I had alopecia, I explored all possible natural solutions to improve my hair. After just a few nights, I noticed my hair felt healthier. Excited about my discovery, I started sharing this new trick with my friends.

At the time, I was still working as an aerospace engineer. It wasn’t until many years later that I made the bold decision to leave everything behind and start my own silk pillowcase brand. My goal was to ensure this incredible product would become well-known and integrated into the daily routines of women.

As a former aerospace engineer, your career path is quite unique. How did your background influence the development and innovation behind Emily’s Pillow?

For many years, I hesitated to leave my background in aeronautics.

How could I walk away from everything—security, colleagues, the sense of belonging to a large community—to create something from scratch when I had no money and no network in entrepreneurship?

At some point, though, I realized that this environment just wasn’t right for me.

For my own mental health, I knew I had to create my own company around a product that truly meant something to me.

My years of experience as a project manager were invaluable in developing Emily’s Pillow. I was used to defining projects with big numbers, managing suppliers, and searching for the highest quality possible.

Silk is often associated with luxury, but Emily’s Pillow emphasizes both beauty and well-being. What are the key benefits of silk that people might not know about?

The softness of silk fabric, combined with its natural proteins and amino acids, is ideal for nourishing both the hair and skin. In fact, medical studies now confirm that silk helps soothe and relieve sensitive skin.

Silk reduces friction on the skin and hair, and with each passing night, you’ll notice visible improvements in both. For me, it’s the most effective and natural addition to incorporate into your daily routine.

There’s a lot of confusion between silk and satin in the beauty industry. Can you explain the key differences and why silk is the superior choice?

Silk and satin are often confused, but it’s important to understand the difference: satin refers to a weaving technique, while silk is a natural fabric.

You can have silk satin or synthetic satin—the key difference is the material used. Synthetic satin is typically made from petroleum-based products, like plastic, whereas silk satin is crafted from pure silk.

Our silk sets, however, are made entirely from natural silk. For example, our silk pillowcases are crafted from 100% silk satin, ensuring they are free from any synthetic or chemical-based fabrics.

Emily’s Pillow products are crafted with 100% natural pure silk and plant-based dyes. How important was sustainability in the creation of your brand?

I’ve worked hard to minimize the ecological impact of our entire production line. While we’re not perfect, we are committed to improving our sustainability each day.

Our silk pillowcases are built to last—they’re designed for longevity and can easily be used for over five years, making them a durable and responsible choice.

We’ve also made the conscious decision to eliminate all plastic from our packaging and prioritize transporting our silk by train instead of by plane or boat, significantly reducing our carbon footprint.

In addition, we’ve relocated part of our production to northern France to support local craftsmanship and further cut down on transportation emissions.

We’re also working on even more initiatives to reduce our environmental impact moving forward.

Your silk is certified OEKO-TEX, GOTS, and ISO 9001. Can you tell us more about these certifications and what they mean for your customers?

Our silk is certified with OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 and ISO 9001, two key certifications that demonstrate our commitment to quality and safety for our customers. When choosing our supplier, these certifications were essential criteria for me. Given that I couldn’t visit them during the first three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, verifying their certifications was crucial.

Here’s a breakdown of these certifications:

• OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 ensures that our silk is free from harmful substances and safe for the skin, meeting stringent international health standards.
• ISO 9001 guarantees a robust quality management system throughout our production process, ensuring consistency and excellence in every product we create.

As for GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), we currently do not hold this certification, though our silk could potentially qualify. GOTS primarily applies to organic natural fibers like cotton and wool, but some silk producers have been able to achieve this certification. This is something we may consider in the future as part of our ongoing dedication to sustainability and transparency.

Silk pillowcases are known to improve skin and hair health. How do Emily’s Pillow products support a nighttime beauty routine, and what results can customers expect?

We spend about seven hours each night on our pillowcases, yet most fabrics used are not ideal for delicate facial skin and hair.

Silk, however, stands out as the exception—it’s the softest material in the world. It dramatically reduces friction between the fabric and your skin and hair.

Just as I experienced, many of our customers have shared that their hair is less tangled in the morning and looks shinier after just a few days of use.

As for the skin, several customers have reported feeling more hydrated and experiencing less tightness after just a few nights of using our silk pillowcases.

For me, it’s truly an investment in beauty that pays off over time—especially since it lasts for years!

Your products promote restorative sleep. Can you share more about the connection between silk and better sleep quality?

Silk is both hypoallergenic and thermoregulating.

Its thermoregulating properties allow silk to adjust to your body temperature, helping to reduce sweating and ensuring comfort throughout the night.

As a hypoallergenic fabric, silk creates a healthier sleep environment, making it ideal for sensitive skin and those prone to allergies.

Lastly, its incredible softness offers a true sense of comfort—like a cozy, soothing embrace, almost like a childhood comfort blanket!

Emily’s Pillow has already expanded beyond pillowcases to include scrunchies and sleep masks. Do you have plans to introduce more products to the collection?

Recently, we’ve introduced a new, fully covering sleep mask design, which has already been embraced by all of our customers.

We’ve also decided to create seasonal collections to diversify our range and offer beautiful, unique products.

Our goal is to become the ultimate silk specialist, with every product rooted in our expertise with silk.

Now that Emily’s Pillow is available in Canada, what are your goals for the brand’s international expansion, and what excites you most about this next chapter?

We’re excited to introduce our brand’s natural beauty philosophy to North America, showing how a simple, everyday product can be reimagined to elevate a more authentic self-care routine.

Receiving the first feedback from our customers has been incredibly rewarding, and I truly believe that, even in a competitive market, our unique approach will resonate with a community that values authenticity and a more natural way of caring for themselves.

Win! An Emily’s Pillow Prize Pack!

Congrats Michelle T. of Thornhill, ON, who will receive an Emily’s Pillow prize pack including a silk pillowcase and a sleeping mask! Please note: if you are the winner, you will receive a DM (direct message) in Instagram directly from @vitadailymedia. Please be wary of fake accounts, which often use similar handles with an extra or missing letter, number or symbol. We will never ask for a payment or for your credit card number, and we will never ask you to click through a link. If you are unsure whether you have been contacted, via Instagram, by us or a fake account, email us before responding.