The Wing is coming to London – plus the other female-only members' clubs you need on your radar
Virginia Woolf, one of the early feminist pioneers, famously wrote: “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
Of course, women could also use a room of their own to hold client meetings, catch up with friends and brainstorm that next entrepreneurial idea.
In 2019, it’s never been easier to find a female-friendly space that has it all: looks, cool women to meet, delicious food, pampering and a place to relax or work, thanks to the spate of female-only members’ clubs popping up.
Cult US club The Wing, which is opening its doors in a five-storey Edwardian building in London’s Fitzrovia this autumn, has everyone abuzz with its stylish interiors (designed by a female-only team), A-list founding members and star-studded speaker lineup, including Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Stormy Daniels and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The Wing’s ethos? The club operates on the premise that women can advance one another through the act of gathering together. The Wing’s London outpost will have unique features, including a tea room, roof terrace, portrait room with pictures of famous women in British history, as well as a beauty room, meeting rooms and a library.
Founded by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan in New York’s Flatiron District in 2016, The Wing now has spaces in SoHo and Dumbo, New York, as well as Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco and West Hollywood – London marks the club’s first international opening.
The London club’s founding members include beauty entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid, chef Skye Gyngell, activist Gina Martin, Adwoah Aboah, Felicity Jones and Simone Rocha. It will be a space to work, to network, to connect, to swap tips, to launch ideas, to listen, to get inspired, to read, to write, to eat and to hang. And of course, it will also be a place to party.
As far as membership costs, numbers haven’t been released for the UK club yet. US members typically pay $215 and up monthly. Then again, many of them practically live there, they love it so much…
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London is home to a slew of inspiring female-only members’ clubs and gathering spots for women to exchange ideas or pitch their startups. Here are a couple of others to know:
The AllBright
With locations in Fitzrovia and Mayfair, London’s AllBright club (yes, the name is inspired by Madeleine Albright, who famously declared that “there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women”), The AllBright was founded by Anna Jones and Debbie Wosskow and combines workspace, wellness, event space and workshops. It also offers online courses via The AllBright Academy, helping female founders and women looking to excel professionally. They even host pitch days for female founders looking to secure investment for their startups.
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Marguerite London
Marguerite London is named after Peggy Guggenheim and is a support network for women working across the visual arts. Expect events with leading designers and artists like Victoria Beckham and Gavin Turk, as well as talks on how to launch a successful business. Marguerite isn’t a physical clubhouse, but not to worry: you’ll be attending events in London’s hippest locales, from galleries to The Ned.
