Those who aspire to wear Versace and nothing but Versace will do well to first figure out where they belong — the seriously rich or the simply rich. Yes, the Italian fashion powerhouse does make a distinction between the two.

It has the Gianni Versace Collection for the Richie Rich type. Then, it has the Versace Collection for their not so wealthy cousins. The difference lies in the word Gianni, the first name of the dead designer, lent to the premium collection. The price tag shows.

You can shop for the poor man’s Versace in India. The fashion house already has a handful of stores here through a franchise arrangement. But the only way you can now get your hands on a piece of the Gianni Versace Collection is by going abroad and buying it. Come October, travel abroad will not be necessary, as the first Gianni Versace store in India will open in Galleria Oberoi in Mumbai.

The second will be in Delhi, by November. Galleria Oberoi, in Mumbai’s Oberoi Hotel, is the country’s most exclusive shopping arcade.

The least you can spend in a Gianni Versace store is Rs 70,000 for a men’s suit, Rs 25,000 for a women’s top, or Rs 60,000 for a bag. But the collection has other stuff as well — jewellery, watches, accessories, fragrances and home furnishing. The Gianni Versace Collection is not age specific. As long as you have the money to spend, the collection suits all ages. In contrast, the Versace Collection is for younger people and cheaper.

The Delhi-based Blues Clothing Company (BCC) holds the Versace franchise in India. About the Delhi showroom, BCC managing director Dinesh Sehgal said, “We have got good offers from two hotels and also some very nice malls. We will soon finalise the location.”

An entire building, with 20,000 sq ft of floor space, will be taken up to sell Versace products in Delhi. “The luxury retail market is growing at up to 30 per cent a year. Mumbai and Delhi can take the load of multiple outlets. We did not want to wait till Emporio opens in Mumbai, which is why we are opening Gianni Versace in a hotel in that city,” Sehgal said.

Versace house brands like Cornelliani and Cadini will also be sold in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore. The expansion will cost Rs 200 crore, said Sehgal. Versace has earmarked Rs 3 crore for marketing and advertisement, he said. There will be no brand ambassador though, a route most foreign apparel and luxury brands have taken. According to Sehgal, the first two years were difficult for the brand, but now it has started to make profits.