The Leela and Ara Lumière Turn Milan Fashion Week into a Platform for Mindful Indian Luxury and Empowerment

An intimate yet powerful gathering united fashion leaders, cultural icons, and purpose-driven voices to celebrate resilience, empowerment, and India’s place in global luxury.

 India, 30th September 2025: Milan Fashion Week became the stage for a powerful cultural and social movement as The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, one of India’s foremost luxury hospitality brands, partnered with Ara Lumière by philanthropist and social entrepreneur Kulsum Shadab Wahab to present The Phoenix Circle at a private dinner hosted at Portrait Milano on 24th September. Conceived as a cultural bridge, the evening fused the soul of Indian luxury with a movement that is rewriting fashion’s role in empowerment and social change.

At its heart, The Phoenix Circle is a bold initiative by Ara Lumière that empowers women acid attack survivors, transforming their pain into power and their stories into legacies. Defined as “a circle not everyone enters, but everyone aspires to,” the movement uses fashion as revolution - each piece representing resilience, renewal, and the fight for freedom. Partnering with The Leela amplified this message on a global stage, with mindful luxury touchpoints - from the evocative fragrance and the signature Picante cocktail to Leela Ke Phool, a mindful gift crafted by women artisans that empowers livelihoods while reflecting The Leela’s commitment to conscious luxury. Together with Melodies by The Leela by Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, the evening became an immersive experience where culture and purpose converged.

The dinner gathered a formidable circle of global leaders including Carlo Capasa, President of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana; Marco Bizzarri, globally renowned luxury leader and former President & CEO of Gucci; and Angela Missoni, Creative Director of Missoni. Their presence elevated the evening into a cultural milestone, where Indian luxury and purposeful fashion came together to inspire dialogue and drive impact.

“Milan Fashion Week is more than a showcase of design; it is a forum for ideas that move the world. As custodians of true Indian luxury, we see it as our responsibility to use our platform to create experiences that transcend hospitality, weaving in mindfulness, cultural storytelling, and impact. Partnering with Ara Lumière on The Phoenix Circle is a way of reinforcing India’s voice as a leader in meaningful global luxury,”

Madhav Sehgal, Senior Vice President – Operations (South) and Head of Sales, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.

“The Phoenix Circle was created to transform survivors’ stories into legacies - to show that fashion can be a revolution and a platform for dignity. To bring this vision to Milan with The Leela is to prove that when luxury aligns with purpose, it has the power to change narratives and inspire the world,”

Kulsum Shadab Wahab, Founder of Ara Lumière and Executive Director, Hothur Foundation.

 Together, The Leela and Ara Lumière redefined what it means to make an impact at Milan Fashion Week , marking a moment where Indian luxury was not just showcased, but used as a force for empowerment, resilience, and global cultural dialogue.