When 32-year-old Kylie Griffiths wants to unwind, she heads to the sea. The Londoner loves the city she grew up in, but says it can quickly become claustrophobic. She turned to surfing in her late 20s to get away from it all, and soon other women were reaching out to join her on her trips to the beach. “It was the only time I felt like I wasn’t in my phone and was fully in the moment,” Griffith says. “You’re something so small in something so great.”
Griffiths would go on to found London Girls Surf Club, which encourages landlocked city women to escape the concrete and submerge themselves in the sea. It is one of many clubs for women to flourish in London and across the UK in recent years. The Wing, which was established in New York in 2016, is the latest women’s co-working space to announce a London venture.
When The Wing opened its doors in New York, founders Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan celebrated with a sleepover, which reportedly included face masks, pillow fights, and a beauty bar. Among the initial founding members were the actor Lena Dunham, rapper Remy Ma, and Glossier CEO Emily Weiss. The Wing, which has more than 8,000 members, welcomes trans women and those who identify as non-binary.
Over the last two and half years, the Wing has opened offices in the Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and LA. Each pastel-hued space includes a feminist library and a cafe stocked by female-run caterers. Guest speakers have included Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jennifer Lawrence and Stormy Daniels.
The Wing’s London space – a five-story townhouse with a tea room and gym – will boast the same star power. Founding members include the Game of Thrones actor Emilia Clarke, the model Poppy Delevingne, the writer Otegha Uwagba and the activist Gina Martin, who campaigned to make upskirting a crime.
Supporters say women are turning to these clubs with increased enthusiasm because male-dominated industries and sports are still not doing enough to be more inclusive. They believe these clubs also address a growing sense of isolation among women who are self-employed, largely work from home, and want to have an impact on the world.
Zara Rahim, head of strategic communications at The Wing, said London was chosen as the first non-US city because there was a demand. “Since the beginning of time women have rolled up their sleeves and got things done and all we want to do is provide them that dedicated space to do that,” Rahim added.
The Wing’s mission is shared by other women’s club and co-working spaces. Lola Hoad, 24, founded the co-working space One Girl Band in 2015 because she felt lonely as a self-employed entrepreneur. She looked to join a mixed co-working space in Brighton, but most were either too expensive or she didn’t feel comfortable in them. “It wasn’t so much [that] anything happened, but it was an intimidating and patriarchal space. Especially if you’re a woman in business, you have to prove that you are worthy of being there.”
Hoad rejects the idea that the space, which reached capacity within six months, is anti-men. “It’s more about creating an environment that helps people feel more confident in a realm where they are traditionally excluded.”
Lu Li, 35, founded the female co-working space Blooming Founders in London in 2015. She says mixed co-working spaces “are largely male-dominated tech spaces … not appealing to women”. Instead of WeWork’s beer on tap, Blooming Founders provides herbal tea, coffee, cookies and biscuits – “and nicer things,” Li adds.
Unlike historical private members’ clubs, these female-only clubs want to be as inclusive and diverse as possible. But clubs like The Wing, which costs $185 (£145) a month in the US and is an annual commitment, have been criticised for being out of reach for low-income women.
Rahim said the company was yet to announce its London prices but and that The Wing was working to ensure their community was as accessible as possible, by providing scholarships and investing in local nonprofits to support women in the community. “Investing in a membership in The Wing also means that you’re spreading social good, you’re supporting other women,” Rahim said.
Sometimes, the focus on social good goes beyond supporting women. Griffiths said one of her favourite London Girls Surf Club trips was when she partnered with Switchback, a charity that supports young male offenders who’ve recently come out of prison. “It was important to be able to do that and give back in that way,” Griffiths said. “A couple of boys burst into tears when they got to the beach because they’d never seen the sea.”