Waris Ahluwalia – Famous Punjabi

Waris Ahluwalia was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India he later moved to New York at the age of five. House of Waris, founded by Ahluwalia, is strongly influenced by the romance and history of ancient kingdoms. Ahluwalia creates fine jewelry pieces that are noted for their unique beauty and craftsmanship. Coveted by fashion icons and sold at the most luxurious boutiques, they bring together old world techniques and marvelously modern designs. Waris Ahluwalia, who is now based in New York, travels frequently to Rome and Rajasthan on a quest to preserve the methods of the Old World, working with the best in each city, from goldsmiths to diamond setters who once made the crests for royal families. He was a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist in 2009, and in 2010 he was inducted as an official member of the CFDA. The same year, Ahluwalia was placed on Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List, anointed British GQ’s second best dressed man internationally and included in Vogue’s 10 Most Impactful people list. He also pens the column ‘Love & Waris’ on Style.com. In October 2010, House of Waris opened a pop up tea room under the High Line (New York City).The pavilion of the pop up space housed apparel and accessories from designers like Rodarte, A.P.C., book publisher Assouline and jewelry by Ahluwalia himself. The garden area served tea from the Himalayas and food from NYC restaurants like Café Cluny and Bar Pitti. In February 2011, Ahluwalia held his first New York Fashion Week presentation at the Museum of Arts & Design, launching a line of scarves made in India: block printed, hand dyed, silk screened, made of the finest cashmere and silks. Using House of Waris as a platform for collaborations, Waris has worked with A.P.C., Forevermark of the De Beers Group of Companies, and Tilda Swinton for Pringle of Scotland. Waris Ahluwalia has also collaborated with Benjami Cho, yoox.com, Lookmatic, the Webster Miami, Colette in Paris, Elliott Puckette for NewbarK, and the World Gold Council. In response to the attacks in Mumbai in November 2008, Waris Ahluwalia, along with Mortimer Singer and Tina Bhojwani, created To India, with Love, a book aiming to raise funds, spirits, and awareness for the victims of the attacks. All of the proceeds went directly to Taj Public Service Welfare Trust in conjunction with Mumbai: We Got Your Back! (WGYB!), an organization founded by the three editors. In 2012, Ahluwalia contributed to the summer issue of The Paris Review, writing an essay on art featuring the work of Walton Ford and Ryan McGinley. Ahluwalia also collaborated with the world-renowned restaurant from New Delhi, BUKHARA. The restaurant opened an exclusive pop up in London at the Sheraton Park Tower in which Ahluwalia served as Creative Director. The pop up ran for two weeks and donated a portion of the proceeds obtained to support the Elephant Family non-profit organization. As a part of his role as Global Ambassador for Starwood’s Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts, Waris Ahluwalia wrote and produced the original short film, “HERE: a Film by Luca Guadagnino. The film’s team included Tilda Swinton (co-writer), Heidi Bivens (stylist), Jason Schwartzman (music) and Agyness Deyn (actress). In 2013, House of Waris launched a special line for Valentines Day, called ‘Boo’, referring to it as a term of endearment. In celebration of the line, Waris Ahluwalia commissioned 9 artists and filmmakers to make short films titled “You’re my Boo.” The list of artists included: Phillip Andelman, Casey Neistat, Brett Stabler, Ben Watts, and Hailey Gates; as well as John Forté, Mick Rock, Matthew Frost. Ahluwalia has also collaborated with Illesteva Eyewear on a line of sunglasses that launched April 2013, and T Magazine dubbed the glasses “the single most essential frame of the summer.” The sunglasses are handcrafted in France and are available in four versatile colorways. In 2013 Waris Ahluwalia was featured in a Gap “Make Love” campaign ad that has gotten attention from consumers and the media alike. Waris Ahluwalia acted in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) by Wes Anderson, as Vikram Ray, with a cast that included Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Angelica Huston, and Cate Blanchett.