The Allbright: UK's first women-only member's club opens in London
Allbright Club adopts Virginia Woolf quote "A woman must have money and a room of her own."
The Allbright, London's first women-only members' club, will open its door in Fitzrovia in 2018. It is the first club aimed exclusively at working women.
Early members include actress Ruth Wilson, star of Luther and Saving Mr Banks, Justine Picardie, the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, MPs, campaigners such as Sarah Brown and more, reports the Evening Standard.
"The power that comes from female camaraderie can't be understated," says actress Naomie Harris, who is also a member.
"We all take strength from our girlfriends when we face hard times. Creating a place for women to be able do this in their professional lives too is a great idea."
The Allbright was founded by ex-CEO of home-sharing platform Love Home Swap Debbie Wosskow, and former CEO of Hearst Magazine UK, Anna Jones. They initially set out to raise capital for female entrepreneurs but realised there was demand for a women-only members' club.
The cafe/bar/powder room - yes, the five-story townhouse includes a room reserved for blow-dries - will be located in Rathbone Place, north-west of Oxford Street. It used to be owned by street artist Banksy's former agent.
The interior is inspired by the Bloomsbury Set, a group of early 20th century writers and artists who lived a bohemian lifestyle. Virginia Woolf and EM Forster were part of the set. On the Allbright website is the Woolf quote, "A woman must have money and a room of her own."
"Debbie and I thought what kind of club would we want," said Jones. "We didn't know it would resonate with people as much as it did."
Representative of a broad church
While their initial target was to sign up 1,000 members by the end of 2018, they received 1,000 membership applications in just one day, she added.
"The important thing is that it feels representative of a broad church," stressed Jones. She and Wosskow went through all the applications to make sure one industry was not more represented than others.
She said that the creation of the club - although planned for years - resonated with the recent allegations of sexual harassment that prompted the #MeToo movement.
"We wanted to find a different way of networking," she said. "We started out thinking very much about access to more capital for more women but we realised there was a lack of access to networks for women."
AllBright is already looking to expand. Wosskow and Jones plan a second London-based building and Wosskow and Jones are thinking of a third site in Manchester.
Membership will cost a pretty penny: £600 a year and a joining fee of £250. Ten free memberships will be available.
Women-only members' club are becoming increasingly popular around the world. In New York, The Wing, the first to be created, will expand all over the US thanks to a $32m (£23.9m) bursary.
