With the launch of The Sorority Club, this week has been a celebration of women. It’s been a reminder of the powerful and inspirational impact women can have in this world and what happens when we join hands to collaborate for positive change. Whether it’s in business, relationships or unions to tackle the greater issues facing our modern world, women it seems, are standing stronger than ever before and are in our light feminine way creating pathways that are shaping a bright future. It is an age of transition, sharing, nurturing and communication. We all know how much women love to talk! The tap has been opened, the loudspeaker has been turned up and our voices are been heard far and wide. Tea party chitchat has turned to boardroom brainwaves and wise worldly words that are making big things happen in every arena of life imaginable.
The brainchild of Lisa Tse, award-winning designer and sought-after brand guru, The Sorority Club is an exclusive members-only club for inspiring professional women. Celebrating style and femininity, The Sorority held its official launch this week when a fine group of inspiring women gathered for the first time in a secret location in London.
Guests had received a hand delivered VIP Invitation sealed with the Sorority insignia. There was no red carpet, guest list or fanfare. Just a magic word passed onto guests, to be uttered when entering the unassuming doorway flanked by gentlemen in bowler hats.
The evening was not only to celebrate the launch of The Sorority, but also included the Founding Members Inauguration.The Founding Members that evening, which included Gurinder Chadha OBE, Katie Derham, Beatrix Ong, Paula Pryke, and Ching He Huang, were each presented with a silver Sorority Insignia by HRH Sultanah of Pahang. These insignia's mark the entry into The Sorority and were handcrafted in London by the same silversmiths who created artist Marc Quinn's Kate Moss sculptures.
The members spent the evening enjoying cocktails created by Mews of Mayfair including the Snow Leopard Feline Fatale, vintage champagne tasting courtesy of French Bubbles, whilst nibbling on Lobster shots and Lavender Macaroons with guests including Britt Ekland and Princess Yasmien Abbasi. Over £17,000 of gifts were provided to the lucky guests who each took home a luxurious goody bag, including an exclusive Matches Boutique Privilege card for the first 100 Sorority members entitling members 15% off all future fashion purchases.
As each lady was called up to receive their silver sorority sister pin, placed over their heart by honorary member, the Queen of Malaysia, their story was told. The sense of awe built as the tale of each woman’s life journey, successes and visions for the future were revealed. I felt a mixture of amazement and pride at the combined achievements. To some it may have been intimidating but personality it made me want to whip out my laptop, charge my blackberry, take out the colorful crayons and get cracking! The key to The Sorority is to unlock our wealth of knowledge, share ideas and put systems in place so that we may all place a step on the ladder that will help us collectively reach for the stars.
Recently on my travels I was watching the tribute to Michael Jackson and his life. We all know that feeling when a particular song seems to follow you around. You hear it in the car, in the shopping mall, the man next to you on the street is humming its tune. It steps up from the ether time and time again as if to say “Hello! This is your message! This is your theme song for now!”
The song that has been following me and making my heart sing is Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.” Elation and joy spring to my heart when I hear the words “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change!” Watching the documentary of his world tour made me take note of the fact that Michael embodied the message of love in everything he did. Famous for his “I love you’s” to his fans and the world, he captured themes of racial integration, world-love and environmental issues in his songs. Just think of “heal the world, make it a better place”. He was at the forefront of positive change. He had a message of universal love that he spread throughout the world through the medium of music. It’s a tune to which we can all sing - a universal melody. He is a testament to how one person can make enormous change, how one person can change the world. It does seem like a rather clichéd example but he really is one of the people we all know and love… and let’s face it, we’ve all tried the moon walk or secretly wanted to!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgtWIx2zLtk
I have just come back from a supper with five women in Fez, Morocco. Gathered around the table were three generations of women from my family and my dear friend Estelle Bingham, a deeply intuitive connecter. The discussion led to the reasons behind the fascinatingly low depression rate in Fez. What, despite their poverty and daily problems, made these people so intrinsically happy?
Tomato and olive salad was passed around. The answer seemed to lie in the close community where families live in communal spaces and feel a sense of shared experience and belonging. They may have modest homes but they are always immaculately kept, their clothes are clean, they are thoughtful and kind and there is an abundance of deliciously prepared food on the table. Every member of the family is valued and needed, each with a role to play in the daily functioning of the family. New neighbours are always invited inside and welcomed. Food is served on a round table where there is no hierarchy; we are all equals sharing from a central dish. We dip our bread into the rich broth and nourish our souls from the same source of life. We connect and communicate in a shared moment. This is a form of love. This is happiness.
All of the women sitting around The Sorority table have their own unique talents and skills, each woman has a totally unique path and purpose in life that cannot be replicated. It is exciting to think about the greatness our combined talents will bring to the world. The challenge is to hold the mirror up to oneself: who am I and what do I want in life? Many of us will spend our whole lives navigating this question. The important thing is that you recognise yourself in the mirror and get a sense of what makes you happy. You don’t need to see one hundred steps ahead. As long as you see the first step, the rest will follow. It is the people around us: our family, community, partners and colleagues that help us find our reflection. Happiness is finding a common table to sit around and share the delicious splendor's of life.
Launching later this month, The Sorority House is a private online community for Members. This platform has been created with a focus to facilitate connection and allow our members to interact with each other in a private space.
Further to this, The Sorority Wisdom will be an online knowledge base for Sorority members to share and promote their insight and knowledge. Features, articles and interviews will be published publicaly online to create an opportunity for our members to share their knowledge.
If you would like to join The Sorority, this can be done by making a pledge for membership on the sorority website at:
http://www.thesorority.org/membership.asp
Full details of Membership Benefits and Fees are available on our website www.thesorority.org
BBC NEWS LONDON
There is lovely two minute feature on The Sorority which was broadcasted on BBC London News. The piece can be viewed online at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8730000/8730993.stm
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