Waris Ahluwalia has some good anecdotes. Like the one where Willem Dafoe asks him if it's OK to give Spike Lee his number, and a couple of hours later he gets a call and the voice at the other end of the line says "Hey Waris, it's Spike Lee," and asks him to audition for his upcoming blockbuster bank heist movie "Inside Man." Waris got the part -- as a terrified bank clerk -- despite admitting to a pretty lame ability to scream. The Boston Globe described him as "excellent" in its review.

All this wouldn't be so remarkable if Waris was an aspiring actor, but he's never taken an acting class: his day job is owner of House of Waris, an exclusive jewelry brand that is stocked by just five of the world's snobbiest boutiques -- including Loveless in Tokyo -- and is regularly featured in dozens of top-flight fashion magazines.

With his long, wispy beard, tightly tied turban and unassuming manner, Waris is an unlikely globe-trotting style demagogue. The Japan Times spoke with him when he was in Japan last month to launch an accessories line designed for French fashion label A.P.C., as well as to talk business with the department stores and boutiques clamoring to get their hands on his exclusive merchandise.