I’m afraid when it comes to Waris Ahluwalia, you’re going to have to accept the less desirable of two choices: since you can’t be Waris, you’re just going to have to buy Waris. If you’re a guy, who wouldn’t want to be Waris? A handsome Sikh whose parents emigrated to New York when he was 5, the young Waris drifted without much purpose. But he was always desperately cool in his dastar—the traditional sikh turban he always wears—his Savile Row suits, and his perfectly chosen accessories.

Cool can be a commodity all by itself, and so it turned out for Waris. He was living in L.A. and walked into Maxfield’s, the over-the-top expensive boutique. The owners noticed the rings Waris had designed for himself. They had a big silver base set with an elaborate assortment of diamonds. Maxfield’s owners were so taken with them that they placed an order for more to sell in their own shop, and the rings quickly sold out. Waris suddenly figured he better learn the jewellery business, so, like that, he did.

Thus was born House of Waris, which features Waris’ understated but singular jewellery designs. Take a look. I particularly like his necklace with a pendant of teardrop green peridots wrapped in a spiral. A bracelet is made of turquoise balls each wrapped in gold netting. Everything is distinctive while remaining highly wearable.

At the same time Waris was getting his jewellery business off the ground, he was popping up in movies, including three by his friend Wes Anderson (his first was Anderson’s Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou.) His next movie, Beeba Boys, opens in mid-October.

Waris shows up regularly on best-dressed lists, including Vanity Fair, GQ and Vogue. There are other projects too, like pop-up stores that sell other brands he happens to like, most of which you will undoubtedly happen to like too. You can buy many of them through Waris’ site, but I’m afraid that’s as close as you’ll ever get to inhabiting the skin of someone who’s probably cooler than you, and god knows, much cooler than me.