Waris Ahluwalia is an Indian American designer and actor. Born in Punjab, India, his family migrated to Brooklyn when he was five years old. He came to international attention as an actor in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. As a designer, he created House of Waris, a company dedicated to exploring design through craftsmanship.

Waris has supported many organizations and movements, strongly believing in the intersectionality of social and environmental justice. For two decades he has worked with Elephant Family to support human-wildlife coexistence and sits on the board of Creative Time, one of NY's oldest public art organizations confronting the most pressing matters of our time through the lens of art. He was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2010 and dubbed one of Vogue's 10 Most Impactful People. In autumn 2016, the Mayor of New York proclaimed October 19th as ‘Waris Ahluwalia Day’ for his work in spreading tolerance and inclusivity through creative, social impact endeavors. In 2019 he created House of Waris Botanicals, a range of teas conceived as “a vehicle for change.” For FAO, Waris has helped promote the consumption and sustainable production of tea.