In these nervy fashion times, Chapman is among the several foreign designers who have decided to shift to India. Even as Indian designers look overseas, at international runways, these foreign names are eastward bound. Incidentally, the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), India’s premier fashion body, doesn’t accept members of foreign origin. Sunil Sethi, president of FDCI, confirmed, “This rule has existed for 11 years since the inception of FDCI and the organization is set up basically to help Indian designers and procuring more business for them. The first priority is given to an Indian designer because we want business to come to them”.

Not that this deterred Greek-Lebanese designer Alecca Carrano who moved to Delhi from south France with her Italian architect husband in 2006. “For me, it was a professional challenge. I have been in this industry for 20 years, having worked in New York for 17 years and then in France. Europe was getting kind of boring, people were not open and it wasn’t easy to start one’s own business; India seemed like an exciting destination and here we can get buyers from the Middle East, Singapore and Japan,” says the 40-something Carrano. Her signature designs combine minimalism with detailing like bold ruffles which were a hit at the Delhi Fashion Week where she showcased in March. Today, she presides over a staff of 20 in her company Wrap Fashion and retails to 16 stores across India including one at Sunder Nagar. “The collection is quite popular in Ogaan,” smiles Carrano. A-listers like socialite Tanisha Mohan have been spotted in her designs though these names still mean little to the designer. “I look upon celebrities as any other clientele,” laughs Carrano. She tried for an FDCI membership but was turned down.

Meanwhile, Norwegian designer Julie Skarland, 46, for whom a “brief stopover for production possibilities” in 2005 turned out into an extended stay, shut shop on the 9th avenue in Paris to open operations in Delhi. “On the professional front, I do not find it difficult to run a business here. The artisans and weavers are excellent,” says Skarland, who made her Indian debut at DFW in March. She hasn’t severed her Nordic connection; a fashion show at the Norwegian embassy saw 30 ensembles—- dresses, jackets, trousers and cocktail gowns inspired by her Norwegian roots. The colours were muted, ranging from smoked blue and fawn to beige and ivory, and the embellishments blended Indian extravagance with her Norwegian sensibilities. Her collection is mostly retailed in Norway and she is waiting to make inroads into the Indian market.