It was a slumber party like no other. When The Wing, a women-only co-working space and social club, first opened in New York in autumn 2016, its founders Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan celebrated with a party followed by a sleepover that was made of Instagram dreams: silk monogrammed pyjamas, eye masks embroidered with ‘I am busy’, pillow fights, a fully-stocked beauty bar for when the morning rolled round.
The guest list was equally dreamy: Glossier’s Emily Weiss, J Crew's former Creative Director Jenna Lyons, actress Natasha Lyonne, Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine and trans model Hari Nef were all there as founding members. Among the excitement and the thrill of seeing the sleek, blush interior for the first time (designed by a women-only team, obviously), it was deemed a ‘millennial-meets-suffragette’ space. And now, it’s coming to London.
On the border of Soho and Fitzrovia, the London outpost, a five-storey townhouse, will be The Wing’s first international opening – as well as the New York club, they have spaces in Washington DC, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles. London was chosen because there was so much demand for a space like The Wing in the capital.
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Unlike the other clubs though, London will have unique features, including a tea room (yes, we accept the stereotype), a roof terrace and a portrait room which honours women throughout British history. Chef Skye Gyngell, of Spring and Petersham Nurseries fame, will be creating a special dish for the menu, while the rest of the food will done by The Wing's Dani Dillon, who previously worked at Michelin-starred restaurant La Vara in Brooklyn.
There’ll also be a spacious, wallpapered beauty bar so you can go for work and stay for Martinis.
With a membership of 8,000 women, The Wing's resounding ethos is the power of bringing together a diverse network of women. And if their roster of past speakers, which includes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Tina Fey, Jennifer Lopez, Hillary Clinton and Christiane Amanpour, is anything to go by you can expect sell-out panel discussions and career-focused workshops.
We know where the parties going to be this autumn. And we’ve got our eye masks ready.
