Tina Ateljevic, Head of Membership & Communications, Soho House Copenhagen
Soho House and CIFF – Can you tell us about the collaboration between Soho House and CIFF? What makes this partnership a good match?
Soho House Copenhagen and CIFF often collaborate during Copenhagen Fashion Week to host vibrant, special events from parties to dinners for both members and for local and international talent from the fashion industry to be part of. A lot of our global members visit Copenhagen for Fashion Week, so we always look to provide a great programme of events from talks to House parties that resonate with both local and global members, and CIFF is the perfect partner for this due to their vast network with brands and talent.
The Power of Community – The fashion industry thrives on strong networks and communities. How does Soho House contribute to fostering these connections in Copenhagen?
The fashion industry is important to our members and a key part of our member events offering globally, we are always looking to work with local and international brands to collaborate with on exciting member events and we are very lucky that amongst our community we have some really talented people. In the past, we’ve hosted talks with the likes of Highsnobiety and Clare Press as well as parties with notable Danish designers such as GANNI, Henrik Vibskov, Heliot Emil and more. During fashion week we often host family-style dinners with fashion brands and magazines, such as Vogue Scandinavia, for a pre-Fashion Week dinner in Cecconi’s with their local and international circle who are in town for the week. Our spaces are designed to be comfortable and characterful, ensuring everyone in our spaces feels at home and in like-minded company.
A Unique Space – What sets Soho House Copenhagen apart from other locations worldwide? How has the city’s creative and fashion scene influenced the house?
Every Soho House is uniquely designed and tailored to its location, whilst always retaining a home away from home feel that ensures our members feel comfortable wherever they are in the world. When searching for a new building or area for a House, it is imperative that there is an interesting story behind it, for example, in Copenhagen, we chose the Customs House by the water on Havnegade, a prominent building in Copenhagen’s history that offers stunning views of the Harbour.
The House’s colourful scheme on the ground floor has been inspired by its proximity to Nyhavn. The neighbourhood’s boldly coloured facades are reflected in the fabrics and wall coverings, such as the padded woven fabric on the outer walls in pink, cream and green, which bring a twist on whitewashed Scandinavian panelling with a detailed Danish textile pattern.
Our member events programming in every city reflects the local membership, with fashion being a large influence on our programming in Copenhagen due to the importance of the industry in the city. We have great relationships with local fashion brands, who we work with regularly to create unique and exciting events and support emerging creative talent in fashion. For example, GANNI founder Nicolaj Reffstrup was one of the mentors for our first Mentorship Programme and so we hosted a joint community dinner and House Party at Cecconi’s to celebrate emerging and established talent in fashion.
Fashion & Creativity – Many Soho House members work within fashion, design, and the creative industries. How do you support and engage with this community?
Copenhagen boasts a vibrant and innovative creative scene, with many calender moments throughout the year showcasing the wonderful talent in the city and positioning Copenhagen as a highly creative city including CPHFW, the fifth-largest fashion week globally, alongside Paris, New York, Milan and London, plus 3 Days of Design, CHART and Enter art fairs and more. Copenhagen is a super small city and therefore the House boasts a tight knit and concentrated creative community of talented members that contribute to each cultural moment in the House. I am lucky to see some of these members every day and can therefore build strong and authentic relationships and projects with them. Denmark is so good at supporting their own talents and pushing them into the rest of the world. In fact, the emphasis on localism - from fashion to food - is my favourite thing about Danish culture.
We use these cultural moments throughout the year to spotlight local creative talent to our global members, who are often in Copenhagen for these cultural moments but also through our global communication channels. This is often through talks, dinners, parties and activations in collaboration with local brands, media and members. For example, to mark the one-year anniversary of Soho House Copenhagen in 2023 and art week, we worked with Danish artist and member, Lulu Kaalund to create an art installation on a traditional Danish House boat, wrapping the boat in her signature crochet artwork prints and docked it in front of the House for the duration of the art fairs, where members enjoyed cocktails, music and crochet workshops onboard.
The Soho House Experience – What kind of atmosphere and sense of belonging do you aim to create for members in Copenhagen?
The intimate size of both the city and our House fosters a close-knit community. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming, mirroring the spirit of Copenhagen and its residents. While many of our members are Danish, we also want to bring diverse, international creatives together to connect, support each other and have fun. Our goal is to create an inclusive environment where members of all ages, backgrounds, and creative fields feel at home.
Local vs. Global – How does Soho House balance its global identity with a strong local presence? How have you tailored the Copenhagen house to fit the Danish creative mindset?
As mentioned, we incorporate local artists and designers into the House's decor, ensuring that while we maintain a Soho House aesthetic, the Danish influence is prominently felt and our local members feel at home. From a community perspective, we tailor our menu and member events to reflect local tastes and preferences. After listening to member feedback, we have recently added EMS Training and Thai Boxing to our weekly wellness schedule in the Studio as we knew local members were keen to try more varied exercise classes. Copenhagen is also renowned for its elevated culinary scene, so our members appreciate unique culinary and drink events, such as the popular takeover we did with local Punk Royale restaurant, taking over the Harbour room, to challenge the rules and norms of dining. This month, we also launched our Extraordinary Women series where for our first edition, we are inviting Michelin star chef Camilla Hansen to talk about her journey as the founder of restaurant Alouette.
Events & Activations – What kind of events, talks, and gatherings do you host to bring members together? Any highlights from past or upcoming events?
On average, we host over 30 member events per month and it’s truly the most rewarding and exciting aspect of my role. Musically, we feature performances and parties showcasing both local and international talents, including Coco O, Joey Bada$$, Busta Rhymes, Peaches, and at the end of April we have an upcoming show with Kaytranada. Each summer, we collaborate with Distortion festival for an outdoor party as a contribution to wider local community, having previously welcomed artists like Honey Dijon and Sven Väth. This year we are hosting Jimi Jules and are elevating the whole event so that it will look like a pop-up festival.
Beyond music, we offer a diverse range of masterclasses, workshops, talks, and networking events that explore topics from fashion to art, creative leadership to biohacking and sexual wellness. Our cocktail masterclasses, wine tastings, and culinary takeovers with renowned chefs and sommeliers are also immensely popular. Additionally, we create community focused events across the city to bring members together, such as sauna sessions and running clubs. Our programme should always reflect what our members want to see and be part of in their House, and so my team and I are always evolving these based on our member feedback.
Networking & Opportunities – Beyond social aspects, how does Soho House serve as a professional platform for its members in fashion and related industries?
Our Houses are purposefully designed for multi-use, with many members using the Houses to work, take meetings and network beyond socialising. I personally think there is something inspiring about working around like minded creatives and I have often seen ideas and businesses spring to life from members meeting in the House.
Fostering emerging talent is very important to us in every city we are present in and our mentorship programme has a particularly special place in my heart. The Soho House Mentorship program connects Soho House members with young local creatives from lower socioeconomic or underrepresented backgrounds to grow their connections, confidence and experience - providing a route for them to access their chosen creative field. At the end of this program, the young creatives present a project in their chosen field, showcased at the House and I have been so inspired watching our mentees careers grow following the programme. If you’d like to apply to be a mentee on our next cohort, you can read more about our mentorship programme and submit an application here.
We also partner with members, brands, and other organizations, such as CIFF, to organize co-branded member events and special benefits. This collaboration enhances exposure to beneficial networks and key players within their respective industries.
The Future of Membership Clubs – How do you see the role of private members' clubs evolving in the fashion and creative industries? What is Soho House’s vision for the future?
In an increasingly digital world, every industry requires a physical space for connection and inspiration. We aspire to remain that vital hub for creatives in Copenhagen and beyond. We believe in the profound power of in-person community building, which will only grow stronger as we continue to grow our diverse, global membership. We currently have 45 international Houses and this year, we have new openings in Ibiza, Tokyo and Barcelona, giving our members more Houses to spend time in and new creative communities to connect with when they travel.
Looking Ahead – What are your hopes for the collaboration with CIFF and the broader fashion community in Copenhagen?
We hope to sustain the mutual support we’ve fostered over the past two years, ensuring that both Soho House and CIFF continue to be destinations for the global fashion industry in Copenhagen. For the upcoming summer fashion week in August, we are planning a whole House takeover with CIFF that will be revealed closer to the date. We also want to support up and coming designers more by hosting their events at the House and by providing them with a space and visibility. An example of this that we did in the past was hosting the fashion show for all the fashion graduates at Scandinavian Academy of Fashion Design in the summer of 2024. Following our members feedback, we’re also going to be introducing more events throughout the year that have a fashion lens and that inspire and connect our members.
