Soho House: In Good Company
Creative minds in India will be quite pleased to learn that Soho House is launching its Cities Without Houses (CWH) membership in New Delhi, Jaipur, Goa, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata. We asked Dominique Bellas, Global Membership Director, Cities Without Houses about how CWH differs from the regular membership, she said, “Cities Without Houses is a membership for creative minds who like to travel and want to connect with other creatives but are yet to have a physical House in their city. Also, CWH gives you the same access to our global Houses as our Every House membership. So, you can use the Houses as your home away from home, book rooms and bring up to three guests.”
She added that their focus on curating unique events globally to coincide with key cultural moments across cities is valued by members. “Some examples of what we have coming up include, A One Night Affair with Tomo Kozuimi in Tokyo, Salone de Mobile- One Night Only Dinner in Milan, Arco Art Party in Lisbon, VIVID Sydney Under The Tunnels and a Milan Fashion Week Party”. Cities Without Houses membership currently operates in 80 cities globally, spanning North America, UK, Europe, APAC, Africa, and Latin America. The membership fee is Rs 310,000 annually and for individuals under the age of 27 it is Rs 156,000 annually.
Progress
Clearly driven and passionate, we had to ask Bellas about the one thing she is proud of creating during her journey at Soho House, “I am proud of growing Cities Without Houses from scratch to where it is now. It was like starting a business within a business, we had never changed membership in the company’s history and dealt with several challenges to make it happen. I never imagined it would be the success it is now, in over 80 cities, with some incredible members and having created experiences and events that will live with me for a lifetime”, she said.
Reuel Benedict, Hritik Roshan and Saba Azad Teo Van Den Broeke and Ali Faizal
Founded in 1995 by Nick Jones, Soho House is a place for members to connect, grow, have fun, and make an impact. Today, there are members and Houses around the world, as well as restaurants, spas, workspaces, and cinemas. Soho House is a platform that fosters creativity in all its forms, a place where people can share ideas and make connections. The number of Soho House members globally is 193,865. Membership has seen a 19.7 per cent increase year-on-year.
Expansion
Recent House openings include one in Mexico City opened in September 2023 and one in Portland in March 2024. This year will see Houses in São Paulo and Manchester. There will be a House coming up in Delhi and another one Mumbai, offering indoor and outdoor spaces for members to eat, drink and socialise, as well as events to bring creative-minded people together.
Many would already know that the one in Mumbai is set within a 11-storey townhouse located on Juhu Beach. Kelly Wardingham, Regional Operations Director, Asia said that when designing a House, they always try to incorporate local craftsmanship. The Mumbai House has interiors and a colour scheme inspired by Indian culture and the city outside. It features 38 bedrooms, a rooftop pool, gym and 32-seat screening room, as well as spaces for members to eat and drink. Cecconi’s Mumbai is situated on the ground floor and serves Northern Italian dishes to members and non-members.
Over the past five years since its opening, Soho House Mumbai has focused on building its community of members with a host of events that support emerging and established talent to flourish. “Since launching our creative access programs in India in 2021 we’ve supported 39 mentees through the Soho Mentorship program- each given a Soho House membership and paired with a Soho House member as a mentor, to build their confidence, grow their network and provide advice to help progress them in their chosen creative field”, said Wardingham.
As a global membership of creatives, we’re passionate about opening up opportunities in the creative industries for people who are otherwise shut out. Since 2018, we have supported the next generation of talent by helping over 1,500 young people through our creative access programs, Soho Mentorship and Soho Fellowship, she added.
