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Whatever you think of private members’ clubs, there’s no denying The Wing is a change to the old guard. For starters, the collective is made for and run by females. Everything from the food to the biodynamic wine is crafted by women, the ‘Lady Library’ is fully-stocked with first editions of women’s work, and the portrait room’s artwork is designed by women and non-binary artists – keep your eyes peeled for Mary Beard, Amal Clooney and Phoebe Waller-Bridge hanging around.
Priding itself on its feminist principles, the networking space also offers lactation rooms and beauty products for all hair types in its bathrooms. The air conditioning is set to 22C to cater for women’s lower body temperatures, and proceeds from its café go to local charities. You don’t get that at The Groucho Club...
The Fitzrovia base is the brand’s first international outpost, having launched in New York in 2016 before expanding to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, San Francisco and Seattle. The co-working space is set inside a five-storey Edwardian townhouse. Everywhere from the dining area to the cocktail terrace is a tribute to ‘Thank U, Next’, with hints of mustard and green peppered around to stop the clientele headbutting the custom-made wallpaper.
It’s not all pastel pinks and no grit though. If oversees models are anything to go by, financial planning courses, coding workshops and bike maintenance classes will come to the London HQ. In New York, the likes of Hillary Clinton and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have also shared their wisdom with members on everything from power suits to politics.
If you’ve got the cash to spare – membership costs from £170 a month to £1,836 a year for single-access to the London site – getting in is about as tough as getting into Oxbridge with a Blue Peter badge. In the US, more than 35,000 women are on the waiting list. So, unless you’re Alexa Chung or Emilia Clarke, it might be a while before you get to rub shoulders with the city’s most connected editors, artists and influencers.
No one said girl power came cheap...
More information about The Wing can be found on its website
For more of an in-depth look at the capital’s exclusive clubs, read inside the secret world of London’s private members’ clubs
Want to know more about the covert clubs you can actually get into? Have a look at the best secret bars in London