The Wing Was A Women's Utopia ... Unless You Worked There
Marie Claire Australia|October 2020
Employees of the women-only club have a story to tell about the company that sold the world Instagram-ready feminism
The Wing Was A Women's Utopia ... Unless You Worked There

The idea was born in a Starbucks bathroom. Audrey Gelman, then a 28-year-old PR savant and New York personality, was tired of dashing between meetings in New York and Washington, charging her phone in hotel lobbies and freshening up in public toilets. She envisioned a kind of feminine pit stop she would call Refresh – a club where women could blow out their hair and check their email in comfort and peace.

But in time, Gelman’s aspirations widened. She realised that carving out a space for women was a “subtly radical” idea. Gelman partnered with Lauren Kassan, a 28-year-old director of business development at the fitness start-up ClassPass. They began plotting the club’s first location: a bright penthouse in New York’s Flatiron district along a historic stretch known as the Ladies’ Mile where, in the late 19th century, upscale women could be seen shopping unchaperoned. They enlisted the historian Alexis Coe to research early American women’s clubs and traced a line between those efforts and their own. When the club opened its doors in October 2016 — under a new name, the Wing — they styled it as “a place for women on their way”. In its final form, Gelman said on the Recode podcast last year, the Wing is intended as a “women’s utopia”.

This story is from the October 2020 edition of Marie Claire Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2020 edition of Marie Claire Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MARIE CLAIRE AUSTRALIAView All
NATALIE IMBRUGLIA
Marie Claire Australia

NATALIE IMBRUGLIA

UK-based singer Natalie Imbruglia talks all things Taylor Swift, misconceptions about her and watching Prince William listen to her chart-topping song \"Torn\"

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Courtney LOVE
Marie Claire Australia

Courtney LOVE

Her life has swung between extremes, from her husband’s death to her multi platinum albums. But as the singer and actor prepares to turn 60, she’s in a calm place. By Cameron Adams

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2024
SWEET DREAMS
Marie Claire Australia

SWEET DREAMS

Tie on your apron and up your dessert game with these indulgent, chocolate-filled treats

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
CHASING the SUN
Marie Claire Australia

CHASING the SUN

Chloe Tozer, founder and creative director of Clo Studios, welcomes us into her enchanting Sunshine Coast residence, writes Samantha Stewart

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Wild at heart
Marie Claire Australia

Wild at heart

At the Great Plains Conservation safari camp in Botswana, luxury seamlessly merges with the untamed beauty of the wilderness, writes Danika Porter

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
BEAUTY TALK CAMILA MENDES
Marie Claire Australia

BEAUTY TALK CAMILA MENDES

The American actor’s latest venture as the creative director for cool-girl beauty brand Loops sees her further cementing a skincare-first beauty ethos. Here she shares her tips and tricks for a dewy, red-carpet-worthy complexion

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
IN CLINIC LIFT IT
Marie Claire Australia

IN CLINIC LIFT IT

Lifted skin, fewer jowls, overall tightening and plumping with minimal downtime and pain. Could this next-gen ultrasound treatment be the new alternative to going under the knife?

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
MAN THE OF MONTH BRANDON FLYNN
Marie Claire Australia

MAN THE OF MONTH BRANDON FLYNN

The American actor discusses history, horses and his hardest scene to film under Ryan Murphy

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
AMAZING AMY
Marie Claire Australia

AMAZING AMY

Amy Shark isan ARIA-award winner, Australian Idol judge and former marie claire cover star. Bree Player catches up with her to talk new music and finding her feet on TV

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
EVEN THE PLAYING FIELDI
Marie Claire Australia

EVEN THE PLAYING FIELDI

After Matildas mania” captivated the nation at the Women’s World Cup, a new documentary hopes to keep the spotlight on the sport, following the team’s long road to recognition and the game-changing women who paved the way

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024