Françoise Montenay is lost in translation. “Le retouche. Alors! Comment en dit en Anglais? How do you say?” The president of Chanel is rummaging her English vocabulary for a word that is evidently of profound importance to her. I hazard a guess. “Alteration?” The instant flicker of recognition in the deep brown eyes accompanies an excited whoop of approval. “Mais oui, Alteration!” I’ve said something right. She repeats the word softly, almost reverently. Indeed, what could be more remarkable to the head of the world’s most famed couture house than the miracle of a perfect fit. “Alteration is very important to Chanel. We have some of the best people for it at our boutiques. Even if it’s ready-to-wear, it has to be perfect on the body.”

We are sitting in the coffee shop of Delhi’s Imperial Hotel, home to India’s only Chanel boutique. After showing me around the elegant shop with general manager, Xavier Bertrand, Montenay has been describing the pleasures of shopping at Chanel in India. “Our store manager used to run the biggest boutique in Paris. She caters to Indian clients exactly the same way as she took care of our Parisian customers. If there is a change to be done in an outfit or something to be delivered in a special way, we will do that. There are very few Indian stores that offer this service.” The range of products in the boutique – current pret lines, cosmetics, accessories, skincare and of course, the famed Chanel perfumes – is the same as in Paris, she tells me. The shop was designed by the same designer who worked on their boutiques in Paris, Tokyo and New York. “I can guarantee that anyone who shops at Chanel in Delhi will have the identical experience as elsewhere in the world.”

Chanel has been in India since 2005. The Indian market was a far from perfect fit for the brand’s retail expectations requiring more than its share of nips and tucks. With no existing high-street culture or luxury retail environment to speak of, the renowned Parisian label had little option but to set up shop in a five-star hotel. “Distribution continues to be a major challenge in India. Unlike China where people understand retail, we have worked hard to create a luxury set-up here. We had to convince the owner of Imperial to give us a part of the lobby. It required a huge investment on our part.” The other major roadblock in India, says Montenay, is the exorbitant taxes and import duties on luxury items, which far surpass those in other new markets like Russia and China.

While optimistic about the upcoming trend of luxury malls in Indian metros, Chanel plans to expand gradually. “At Chanel we go at the rhythm we think is right for us.” Following the launch of the Delhi store, the brand opened some points of sale for fragrance and beauty at malls in Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. More boutiques and points of sale are in the offing. But Montenay says the brand wants to focus on educating their staff and customers first. “Our biggest challenge is to convince Indian customers to come to Chanel and let them know that our complete range of products is available here,” she says. “As for our secret plans, I’m not telling you,” she adds tongue in cheek.