“Roiboos with mint, please,” asks Waris Ahluwalia when they offer him an impromptu tea atop the Zervreilasee dam. He says it as he keeps his cool between ice floes and after a hard but nothing serious slip in the snow. Being two in the afternoon and having gotten up at five in the morning to immerse himself – dressed – in hot springs without even blinking or complaining.
All this accompanied by a climate (-5 ° C) that dismays the entire production team due to the lack of connection between the brain and the mobility of frozen feet. Waris' serious countenance is familiar to those who have followed the film career of director Wes Anderson , who signed him after meeting him at a peace rally outside the United Nations in New York.
Waris' debut with Anderson was in **The Life Aquatic (2004)** as a member of Steve Zissou's scouting team, played by Bill Murray. then they came Travel to Darjeeling (2007) –together with Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adam Brody– and the ** The Grand Budapest Hotel ** (2014) with a cast of the caliber of Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton and Willem Dafoe . In all of them, the script offers Ahluwalia few dialogues and it is his presence that takes center stage, making possible the wonderful world of symmetries and fantastic characters of the Anderson label.
But Waris is more than just an independent director's fetish actor, he is an uncontrollable traveler, designer, model, philanthropist and founder of House of Waris –a project that finds a lifestyle compatible with the environment in crafts and travel–, which creates its own rules.
"I follow my passions and I don't pigeonhole myself ”, he replies when he is asked what exactly he does for a living. Nobody really knows and it is always a mystery for those who want to decipher the life and mission of this character. Do not expect concrete answers, because there are none nor are you looking for them.
Waris, in a Lanvin suit, a Canali shirt and a silk scarf by The Seëlk, immersed in the hot springs of the 7132 Vals Hotel
From a working class family, he moved from Punjab to New York when he was only five years old and, instead of choosing to become a lawyer or a doctor, as the family tradition dictated, he preferred to explore his artistic curiosity as a model for Gap, collaborating with the clothing firm The Kooples, being an image and global explorer of Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts or traveling halfway around the world to find the artisans who shaped her jewelry collection for House of Waris.
Always respectful and consistent with the values of their religion sikh –That is the reason for the turban that is not removed for any reason– he did not hesitate to put himself under the direction of Spike Lee in The Hidden Plan (2006) or Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black), with whom he shot the short Cabiria, Charity, Chastity (2017) for Kenzo with Macaulay Culkin, or make an appearance in Okja (2017) with his great friend Tilda Swinton.
But what has led us to sit in front of him exclusively with the town of Vals –almost 200 km. away from Zurich – as a backdrop, with soaks in healing mineral waters and a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps, it's no premiere. It is our need to explore his mind...and his to tell us what the future holds.
Waris wears a suit by Ermenegildo Zegna, a sweater by Z Zegna, socks by Muji and shoes by Christian Louboutin on the terrace of the Penthouse of 7132 Hotel Vals
“Choose a destination, any in the world, and we will go there to meet you”, we told Waris emphatically. so that he would have no excuse and become part of the Condé Nast Traveler family, discovering some of his favorite destinations for us. “There is a spa in Switzerland that fascinates me and that fits with my vision of conservation and wellness”, he replied immediately. "Let me look up the name," he continued. Days later, an e-mail revealed it: “7132 Hotel Waltz".
A couple of hours' drive from Zurich or by taking one of the Swiss public transport trains that go direct to Vals, you arrive at this architectural fantasy, an impressive structure that embodies the most obvious definition of luxury and well-being. We are in the Swiss Alps, but this is beyond the expectations of anyone looking for complete disconnection in the snow.
The current vision of the hotel was completed by the architect Peter Zumthor in 1996 under the name of Therme Vals from the thermal baths and the hotel complex built in the 1960s by the German Karl Kurt Vorlop. Immediately after its opening it became a protected monument and Zumthor was recognized with the Pritzker prize. Futuristic and assembled between layers and layers of stone –up to 60,000 pieces of quartz from the local mountains–, The hot springs are integrated with the environment in such a way that it seems that the mountains have given life to the structure that now houses them naturally.
Deckchairs in the outdoor pool of the hot springs
From its outdoor pool, with a temperature between 30°C and 36°C and properties that can only do good to the body in need of tranquility, the cold disappears and it is a sensation of amazement that invades body and mind at first contact.
How can something so impressive and, at the same time, so consistent and logical exist with an environment like the Graubuenden Valley? “ 7132 Vals Hotel finds its raison d'être on four pillars –says Hans-Rudolf Rütti, GM of the hotel–: the architecture of the baths and our House of Architects –composed of rooms within the hotel designed by Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma, Tom Mayne and Zumthor himself –, our restaurant with two Michelin stars , the well-being provided by our treatments and thermal baths, and our commitment to mixing pleasure with business for those who stay here for work”.
"When I discovered this site I was both fascinated and grateful for someone's effort to build a structure from the earth and with materials from the surroundings," Waris confesses. while he looks out the huge window that frames the typical navi picture: a snow-covered mountain and wooden houses with chimneys that let out an incessant stream of smoke.
“This hotel is thinking outside the margins of what we consider a spa. Almost every spa on the planet falls into the same trap of monotony and this is an example of thinking outside the box. That's why I decided we had to come here. Also, look out the window, this image provokes me too many emotions at once. It's... it's... extreme beauty. We could put this same hotel in New York and it would be nice and interesting, but its real value is seen when juxtaposed with a landscape like this”, he concludes without looking away from the window.
Waris thinks about each answer calmly, he takes his time to dialogue with himself inside and communicate his message directly. He is in constant peace, never makes sudden movements and, every time he picks up his cup of tea – he always drinks tea or water, no alcohol or carbonated water – he holds it in such a special way that it would leave any actor in the actor's mouth open. Method. There is no doubt, this guy has style even to lift a cup.
Waris in a silk dressing gown by Dolce & Gabbana, a shirt by Cerruti 1881 and trousers by Dior Homme
ALL FOR THE ELEPHANTS
Waris does not speak for the sake of speaking nor does he feel uncomfortable in the silences. He doesn't hesitate to make himself heard either, even less when it comes to the subject that made him fly a few hours ago directly from New Dehli to Zurich. "I just got off a plane that brought me back from one of the most incredible adventures I've had the fortune to experience." He is referring to the gymkhana he did with the **Elephant Family, an organization with a mission to save the endangered Asian elephant**.
“ The trip was called Travels to my Elephant and it consisted of a trip through Rajasthan that took us from Jodhpur to Jaipur for five days and 500 kilometres. Motorcycles, jeeps, Ambassadors - classic Indian cars -, tuk tuks and chagdas - motorcycles cut in half with a carriage attached to the back -... All this convoy of approximately 35 vehicles traveled through Rajasthan with the purpose to raise over a million pounds and raise awareness to save this mammoth beast.
Today, 90% of the Asian elephant population has disappeared and, if it continues at this rate, it will be completely extinct in the next 30 years. “I have been to India so many times that I have lost count, but I have never experienced this sense of adventure when traveling before” , replies when asked what it meant for him to put aside the luxury to which he is associated every time he takes a plane.
“You will never hear anyone say: ‘One day I want to get in a car and drive around India. No one wants to drive through India, not even Indian drivers want to drive through India." And why do it then? Simple: because it will take more than 85 participants to achieve a change. "The conversation goes beyond the elephants, their disappearance is the sign of a bigger problem," Waris warns.
Lingerie and blazer by Ann Demeulemeester, sweater and pants by Haider Ackermann and Tank Louis Cartier watch
The most colossal animal on the planet is seeing how the paths that guide it on its way to migrate from one place to another in search of water and food disappear. The middle of nowhere is now the point where families settle, farms, where wells, roads or railways are built, and where a challenge for survival is played in which only one can win.
“If we lose the elephants it will be the beginning of the end for us. We think we have refugee problems now, but wait until the sea levels rise, until it stops raining in places where it barely rains. New migratory patterns will begin to be created that will impact life and war. This is just the beginning. And I am not saying this to create panic or to think that there is no remedy, I am saying this because there is hope and we need a revolution in this system that puts profit above all else. Our economy is based on extracting the most we can from the earth and from others, it is based on destruction. It sounds impossible to end this false democracy, but if I have learned anything in my travels, it is that we can give instead of just appropriating”. And here he does raise his voice a little, avoid pauses and try not to let his message go unnoticed.
“You have seen how I travel. I like to party until five morning... It's not about becoming a monk or stop enjoying life, but about being aware, about making small daily changes and not letting the planet destroy itself with our help. And yes, that is my long answer to the question: 'And what do you currently do?' Waris jokes between laughs and emphasizes: “There is nothing that a revolution of love cannot overcome.”
Zervreilasee lake in the Swiss Alps.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Whether for the elephants, for work or to see his friends, getting on a plane is something that Waris has already more than assimilated. “I used to feel comfortable on a plane, but now I must confess that I get tired. Fortunately, or unfortunately, however you want to look at it, my friends are spread all over the world and my life is only made more enriching because of them, so I always make the effort to go see them and spend time together." And it is that Waris's work has always been related to people. When he launched his jewelry collection for House of Waris he did not do it for the purpose of grabbing headlines, which he did, but to travel and meet artisans in Jaipur, Rome or Bangkok.
“When I presented, together with Luxury Collection, the collection in The Gritti Palace in Venice , we had to commission pieces from 40 artisans from 16 countries. It was not a cabinet of curiosities: it was a celebration of life with objects such as a backgammon table, a bronze bowl by Alma Allen, hand-made scarves by Haider Ackerman... Everyday artifacts and a wonderful excuse to get to know to Venetian glass blowers or leather experts from Stockholm. In short, to get in touch with other people ".
“The human being creates, does good, prospers and invents. The revolution I ask for is nothing that cannot be done, it is not self-help, it is a revolution of love, to start the new year with a smile and to create a positive impact, no matter how small, on the day of others”.
And where are you going to start the year of love?, we ask him. "I don't know yet, but I can assure you one thing: After the cold that I caught posing in the snow, it will be in a very, very warm place ”.
On the way to Zervreilasee, Bottega Veneta fur coat and pants, Muji sweater and his own bracelets.
WHERE TO SLEEP
7132 Vals Hotel (_from €390) _
Five-star hotel designed by Peter Zumthor with a buffet breakfast – fresh fruit, fresh breads, eggs from local chickens and a tempting selection of teas. In addition to its thermal baths, its spa offers relaxing massages, acupuncture, and hot stone rituals.
HOW TO GET
Swiss International Air Lines (_from €150) _
Fly to Zurich from Madrid and Barcelona.
Swiss Travel System (_from €122 i/v) _
The best way to travel around Switzerland (and from Zurich to Vals) with unlimited public transport.
EAT AND DRINK
7132Silver _(7132 Waltz; from €192 for tasting menu) _
Haute cuisine with two Michelin stars from chef Sven Wassmer.
ganni (_7132 Waltz; from €25) _
Comforting home cooking in an idyllic location.
***** This report was published in **number 113 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (January)**. Subscribe to the printed edition (11 printed issues and a digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website) and enjoy free access to the digital version of Condé Nast Traveler for iPad. The October issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device.