Q: How did you get into design?
DLP: My love of creating clothes started in the 3rd grade with the gift of my 1st barbie doll in Okinawa. My mother would sew us girls, my three sisters matching dresses, and give me the leftover fabric so I could create all kinds of things for my Barbie world. I started school in Okinawa and then Japan, it put us in the position of not being able to get a lot of Barbie things, so I made my own. For example, shoe boxes were our cars, houses etc.

Q: What inspires you? 
DLP: Nature for sure on a daily basis- I'm a rock lover, and I mean large boulder. I have summited many 14thteeners in Colorado, and I always had to bring a rock back down to add to my collection. I eventually take them back on another climb or hike.

I love trees, flowers, their textures, shapes, colors, the sky daily is an inspiration to me. I designed a dress called Clouds On The Move. The Snow Blanket Coat is a case in point when one morning I looked out to see the snow covering my favorite tree like a blanket. One design series came from a roofing project on our house and the design series, “SteppingStones.” The roof was useless without the Shingles, and together each shingle put in place would protect our home keeping us warm and dry. Women working together can be a force to reckon with.

Q: How did you come up with the message behind Hidden PEARLS?
DLP:  In the back of my mind, I never stopped thinking about my time volunteering at the women’s shelter, Warren Village. I absolutely love that place and their mission. Also, over the years I came to terms with the two attacks on me personally at Florida State University. I was at Bearcreek Lake Park one morning thinking about my brand that I wanted to be special in supporting women, and it hit me- so many women have no idea of their value to themselves, their families, their community, etc., they have heard so many negative messages so we wanted to elevate them so the PEARL isn't Hidden anymore.

Q: How do you want women to feel when they’re in your designs? 
DLP: We believe ALL Queens wear PEARLS, and we want every woman to look and feel like a Queen when she wears a Hidden PEARLS design. When she walks out on her runway in life, she is confident and beautiful.

Q: Who is your ideal client? 
DLP: Any woman who wants NOT to be put in a box. A woman that wants to mark her own path-trails and be all that God intended her to be. A builder, supporter, lover, encourager, making things happen to improve others’ lives, a BEST Friend to many. She doesn't watch things happen; she makes things happen!

Q: What is one word of advice you can offer to young women who want to reach your level of success?
DLP: TENACITY or DETERMINATION. People say I have a boat load of tenacity.

Q: At the start of your career, what do you wish you had known? 
DLP: The cost and the issues that come with working in factories overseas. 

Q: Which woman inspires you and why? 
DLP: It would be Rosalynn Carter who passed on Nov. 19th, 2023. I met her when I was in my twenties, and I was working at Neiman Marcus. She came into shop with the Secret Service since she was the First Lady. I helped her with some personal items in the lingerie department, and when we came out there was a line at the register. For a second, I thought we should let her come to the front of the line, however she insisted that she get in the very back of the line. I helped her one other time at Macy’s when I worked there, and she was one of the kindest women I have ever met, always putting others first. 

Q: What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue their dream and start a business? 
DLP: There is no perfect time so just do it and see how you can work it around your family. I always included my kids, and it is a great way to teach them so many things that they will use later in their lives. I never felt guilty since I always had my kids with me when they weren't in school. They became my team and were some of my greatest cheerleaders. In fact, my daughter encouraged me to go back into fashion after being out for 20 years.

Q: After high school, where did you feel your career path would take you? 
DLP: I wasn't sure since my grades weren't the best since I had moved to so many schools due to my father's military career. Despite these challenges, my mother was convinced that I could do it, so I started at a community college, and then went on to go to Florida State University receiving two degrees and graduating with honors in Fashion Design. I did design some children's high-end dresses for Neiman Marcus customers for a short time, but I always believed that I would one day be able to own my own brand. 

Nine Things About You DL Pettigrew 

1. What's your favorite family tradition? 
We have a family tradition for Christmas and Easter where the kids make homemade bread with their father. Lots of laughter and some mess too.

2. What celebrity would you like to meet at Starbucks for a cup of coffee? 
Dolly Parton or Reba McEntire. I love both of them because they both work hard and stand firm on all that they believe and are strong role models for so many.

3. Who is your favorite author? 
It would be right now Karen Kingsburg. My mother owns all her books and started sharing them with me.

4. What’s your favorite international food? 
It would be Japanese fried rice since I lived in Japan.

5. Are you a morning person or a night owl? 
Absolutely love the early morning, it is so peaceful. 

6. Favorite Dessert? 
Cheesecake 

7. What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play? 
Gymnastics. My daughter Ashley did gymnastics and so did I in junior high and high school. 

8. Which of the five senses would you say is your strongest? 
Hearing since my kids say I hear everything. I try very hard to be a good listener. So many people today say they hear, however they are too busy thinking about what they are going to say instead of really

listening with their ears and their heart, it takes both. 

9. What's your favorite quote or saying? 
It would have to be from one of my late time mentor's Dr. Heartsill Wilson, “This is the beginning of a new day, God has given me this day to use it as I will. I can waste it, or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it! When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, and not loss; good, and not evil; success, and not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I have paid for it.