To celebrity hangout The Roof Gardens last week for the launch of IWC.Inspired. The fabled High Street Kensington venue reopened as a private members’ club last year, following a four-year refurbishment, and has since hosted the likes of Bella Hadid, Nicole Kidman and Lady Beckham. Yet it was a trio of other leading ladies that helped the Schaffhausen-based watchmaker introduce its new female-focused content series.
Aimed at championing the achievements of extraordinary women, IWC.Inspired is a series of videos and events that highlight the way successful female entrepreneurs effectively utilise their time. The inaugural breakfast event saw esteemed watch journalist Ming Liu host a panel discussion with luxury skincare specialist Melanie Grant, founder of social networking app Peanut, Michelle Kennedy, and model and television personality turned racing driver and publican, Jodie Kidd.
The former rooftop nightclub – visited by the likes of Kate Moss, Madonna and Freddie Mercury in its previous guise – originally opened in 1938 as three interlocking gardens on the roof of the now-Grade-II-listed home of Derry & Toms department store, later to become Barkers. The venue has since been turned into a sophisticated, elegant space that has won plaudits for balancing the building’s Art Deco heritage with the latest in contemporary design – a fitting setting for a historic watchmaker at the cutting-edge of modern watchmaking.
With studios in her native Sydney and Melbourne, as well as in Los Angeles, New York, and London, Melanie Grant has built a reputation for her holistic approach to skin health, with clients including Jennifer Aniston, Cate Blanchett and Victoria Beckham. Social networking app Peanut now has more than five million members, with Michelle Kennedy connecting women across various life stages, from fertility to menopause. Jodie Kidd was discovered on a beach in Barbado by celebrated photographer Terry O’Neil, before going on to grace the covers of Elle, Vogue, and Tatler magazines. Jodie is the owner of The Half Moon pub in West Sussex, and is currently in the process of launching an eco-conscious ecommerce website. All three pioneering women were honoured by IWC for using their time to push boundaries and encourage others to do the same.
