Leela Teams with Ara Lumière at Milan
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts announced that for the third consecutive year it is partnering with Ara Lumière, the social‑entrepreneurial venture founded by philanthropist Kulsum Shadab Wahab, to present The Phoenix Circle at Milan Fashion Week. The Phoenix Circle, created by Wahab, is dedicated to empowering women survivors of acid and burn attacks by providing opportunities for dignity, creative expression and livelihood.
The 2026 collaboration featured contemporary artist Raghava KK, who worked with the women of The Phoenix Circle on a project titled PASSPORT. PASSPORT explored ideas of identity and representation, merging the artist’s perspective with the creative voices of the women participants.
Preeti Makhija, General Manager of The Leela Palace New Delhi, stated that the partnership reflects The Leela’s belief that true Indian luxury extends beyond hospitality into culture, creativity and purpose, and that Milan Fashion Week offers a global platform to showcase India’s rich cultural perspective alongside empowerment narratives.
Kulsum Shadab Wahab emphasized that The Phoenix Circle aims to transform narratives of adversity into stories of strength, dignity and possibility, and that fashion provides a powerful language for these stories to reach a worldwide audience.
The press release also highlighted The Leela’s broader corporate profile: it is India’s largest institutionally owned and managed pure‑play luxury hospitality brand, backed by Brookfield, with a portfolio of 15 operating award‑winning properties across owned, operated and managed hotels, and an additional 10 properties in the pipeline across leading leisure and business destinations in India and Dubai. The brand was ranked #2 globally among the best hotel brands in the world by the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2026, having previously been ranked #1 in 2020 and 2021 and placed among the global top three in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
For further information, readers are directed to the company website at www.theleela.com and its social media channels.