The CEO of social club 1880, which is launching in Hong Kong and Bali, after its first venue in Singapore, on mingling a culture of irreverence with intuitive hospitality
What do you think when you think of a private members’ club? For many, it evokes a sense of impermeable, intimidating exclusivity—one in which men in tailcoats and hushed voices act as gatekeepers.
Jean Low is determined to break that image. The CEO of private members’ club 1880, which opened in Singapore in 2017 and is launching in Hong Kong in autumn and Bali by the end of the year, wants the establishment to be the exact opposite of “traditional stuffy clubs [which are] full of rules and built to keep people out”. Instead, she wants it to be a space where conversations and connections can thrive over good food and drinks in a truly congenial space.
It sounds amazingly simple—but a lot of hard work and passion have gone into the making of this space. Here, Tatler sits down with Low to discuss her vision, mission and ambition for 1880.
Jean Low on her vision and mission for 1880 with Tatler ahead of the club’s launch in Hong Kong
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Tell us about 1880 and the mission for its Hong Kong chapter.
1880 was founded on the belief that conversations have the power to change the world. Everything that we do—from our events and food and beverage offerings to the design of our spaces—is focused on that single goal of encouraging conversations. In an increasingly digital age, personal connections and the ability to engage and understand each other through dialogue are not only critical but indispensable.
The Hong Kong chapter of 1880, which is being launched in partnership with Swire, will bring the same level of hospitality and engagement that we have seen in 1880 Singapore.
You have worked in diverse fields such as education and real estate before becoming the CEO of 1880. Tell us about the journey that led to this role.
Looking back over the last 25 years, I am fortunate to have had many opportunities and a very varied and exciting career across countries and sectors, where I have held senior roles in consulting, finance and business development. While each sector and role had its challenges and rewards, connecting the dots backwards, it comes as no surprise to me that I have landed as CEO of 1880. For me, hospitality is about bringing a little bit of happiness to every person that we meet, whether through impeccable food or genuine service with a smile.
I spent the first 15 years of my adulthood in London. I met my husband Marc [Nicholson, a co-founder of 1880] at London Business School. We experienced the incredible hospitality of Harry’s Bar, 606 Club, [the now-defunct] Mark’s Club and Annabel’s [famed private members’ clubs in London]. It was during this time that Soho House first opened its doors in an overcrowded market of members’ clubs. It was cool, daring and different—the antithesis of the traditional stuffy clubs, which were full of rules and built to keep people out. London’s hospitality scene left a huge impression on me.
When we returned to Singapore, we could not find any club that was irreverent, unstuffy and yet unapologetically luxurious in its hospitality. It is said that necessity is the mother of invention—it was this that drove us to build 1880, a place with impeccable F&B and service, where conversations flow and people gather. Now some seven years later, we are excited to spread that happiness to Hong Kong and Bali.
