It’s a new alternative to a ladies night out. The FCC or French Curiosity Club is a series of monthly meet-ups aiming at highlighting talented and ambitious women who can inspire an international audience. “It is an open-minded, smart, funny, international and talented community of women,” says founder and former French lawyer, Margaux Hammer who developed the idea of starting FCC after attending an event during the Chicago Ideas Week in 2014.
FCC launched in February 2015 in Paris, with a talk by oenologist Marjolaine Chatin, and has hosted 28 events since then in Lille, London and now, India. Besides being a dynamic, cosmopolitan and effervescent city, Mumbai was selected because it is full of incredible women who deserve to tell their stories and inspire others.
The Mumbai event this evening will feature Bollywood stunt performer Geeta Tandon. “She is an inspiration, an exceptional woman,” says Hammer. “Raised in a challenging environment, she has always found the strength to fight for her children and for herself.”
Learning curve
The FCC is about curiosity and every month, members get the chance to learn new things. These include subjects like sports (sailing, football, basketball), science (3D printing), arts (painting, fashion design), agronomy (wine, ecology), and entertainment (comedy, acting). Each curiosity meeting is designed around one woman and her field of predilection. It could be someone in the news, rising stars in a field, or someone they heard about through the community. Their only watchword: the person should be daring. In Paris, they’ve hosted a basketball champion, a world-renowned wedding dress designer, an elite French police force officer, and a ballerina.
“We will also introduce you to new fashion designers at every talk, invite you to discover new brands, make you contribute to amazing initiatives, and you may even go back with little presents,” adds Hammer.
It may seem like just another networking event but the format of the evening doesn't follow the conventional round table conference or boring meet-up. Instead, each event takes place at a new venue – a sailboat for a sailor or a kitchen for a chef; features smart content – divided into two parts: an introductive pitch followed by a talk of 35 to 40 minutes, and offers an ecosystem of partners. The talk is followed by drinks and food, which the FCC believes is the best way to exchange thoughts about the talk, meet new like-minded women and make both personal and professional connections.
Goodwill to all
Another part of the FCC has to do with getting involved in charities through a programme called Engage by FCC. In Mumbai for example, FCC is collaborating with NGO Seams for Dreams and the idea is for the attendees to come to the FCC events with clothes they want to donate. In Paris, they collaborate with Article 1er that allows members to be a godmother/mentor to young students.
The core FCC team has seven people including Hammer – Clemence Letellier (artistic director), Sophie Meyer (communication), Zoe Ducournau (photograph and partnerships), Marie El Guedj (event manager) and Gabrielle Larok and Océane de la Verteville (in charge of Engage by FCC).
Each country also has its own small team. Though FCC is exclusive to women, Hammer wouldn’t call it a feminist event. “I usually do not use this word particularly because it sounds like a negative word in French. But it is an event made by women for women,” she says.
The French Curiosity Club will debut in Mumbai this evening atSu Casa in Bandra at 7.30 p.m. Entry is priced at Rs 1,600.Visit frenchcuriosityclub.com
