Overview
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts announced its third‑year partnership with Ara Lumière, the social‑entrepreneurial venture founded by philanthropist Kulsum Shadab Wahab, at Milan Fashion Week. The collaboration introduced The Phoenix Circle – an initiative created by Wahab to empower women survivors of acid and burn attacks by offering them dignity, creative expression and livelihood opportunities – through a fashion‑and‑art showcase titled PASSPORT.
Event Details
The Phoenix Circle was presented alongside contemporary artist Raghava KK, with the PASSPORT project exploring themes of identity, resilience and women’s empowerment. The intimate gathering took place on the Milan Fashion Week platform, positioning Indian luxury and social purpose on a global stage.
Statements
Preeti Makhija, General Manager of The Leela Palace New Delhi, said the partnership reflects the brand’s belief that luxury gains meaning when it creates space for purpose, dialogue and impact, and that Milan Fashion Week offers a global arena to merge India’s cultural perspective with empowerment narratives. Kulsum Shadab Wahab emphasized that The Phoenix Circle transforms adversity into stories of strength and that fashion provides a powerful language to amplify these stories worldwide.
Corporate Context
The Leela, celebrating four decades of “True Indian Luxury,” is India’s largest institutionally owned and managed pure‑play luxury hospitality brand, backed by Brookfield. Its portfolio comprises 15 operating award‑winning properties across owned, operated and managed hotels in India and Dubai, with an additional 10 hotels in the pipeline across leading leisure and business destinations in the two countries.
Recognitions
The brand was ranked #2 globally among the best hotel brands by the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2026 and has previously been named World’s Best Hotel Brand in 2020 and 2021, and placed among the global top three in 2023, 2024 and 2026.