Entrepreneur Aun Koh says new private club is not 'another preserve for elitism'

Wealthy Singaporean entrepreneur Aun Koh has opened up about his new exclusive private club in Singapore in an Instagram post and how it is not a preserve for elitism.

Koh, most popularly known for the food blog Chubby Hubby, is one of the co-founders of Straits Clan located at Bukit Pasoh, along with Wee Teng Wen, co-founder of hospitality company The Lo & Behold Group.

The 45-year-old, who is the son of Singapore’s Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh, is also co-founder and executive director of The Ate Group, a boutique branding consultancy.

He posted on his Instagram on Tuesday (27 February) a photo of himself at the brand new premises slated to be open next month.

Koh said, “To me, the last thing our country needs is another preserve for elitism. Our club had to be the opposite.”

Straits Clan is part of a slew of new private clubs in Singapore including Madison Rooms and 1880. These clubs are portrayed as a departure from their predecessors such as Tanglin Club and Town Club, with lower joining fees. For Straits Clan, their joining fees ranging from $2,500 to $7,500, tiered depending on age group.

Membership applications submitted to Straits Clan are reviewed by the club’s membership committee. Applicants who are not immediately accepted will be placed on a waiting list.

The new clubs also brand themselves as lifestyle-oriented exclusive spaces. Straits Clan is described as a sanctuary for work, rest, and play for creatives from the social and commercial sectors.

Across four floors, the clubhouse offers spaces and facilities to dine, wine, entertain, and hold talks and performances.

This is similar to the facilities and services offered by older exclusive private clubs. For example, Tanglin Club runs lifestyle events for members and their children and has a library, playroom, hair salon and even a jackpot room. It also offers spaces for members to hold their own talks and networking events.

In Koh’s post, he said that “network was paramount” in conceptualising this club. “If we weren’t successful in the attempt to attract and bring together a truly diverse, creative, open-minded and caring community, then there would be no point in pursuing this venture.”

He also described the need to embrace both past and contemporary ideas as exemplified by the uniforms designed as safari jackets by tailoring brand KAYJEN DYLAN, which he was proudly wearing in the post.

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