The new it-bag

So, you probably thought your bag collection was complete. You finally succumbed to that gorgeous little Gucci number and the bright yellow Mulberry Jaquetta, and that would take care of it. However, a new brand has hit the market and is now available at Harvey Nichols.

Be&D bags was launched a mere eleven months ago by Brooklyn-based husband and wife team Be Inthavong and Steve Dumain. Since then the brand has grown into one of the most wanted labels in the fashion marketplace. Celebrities like Mena Suvari, Penelope Cruz, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Marcia Cross have already been spotted with their own Be&D versions.

"We've had a lot of luck with celebrities buying our bags," Steve told vogue.co.uk. "It has been a significant part of the growth (of the business), but I hope the bags speak for themselves." And they do. All the bags have been named for "confident, stylish women" like Greta Garbo, Cindy Crawford and Brigitte Bardot, for whom Be and Steve have a great deal of admiration.

The bags are sexy and cool. They come in different sizes and styles and a range of colour combinations. The Garbo line is made of soft lambskin and is decorated with metal studs, giving it a biker-chic edge.

Be and Dumain are inspired by sources as diverse as Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta, supermodel Kate Moss and all the pretty young things they see darting through Manhattan. Their ideal customer "lives uptown, parties in the Meatpacking District, but she's over it in five minutes".

"Every piece we make, we look at it and say, 'Will someone's great-granddaughter take this out of her closet one day and be excited to carry it?" says Steve. You bet she will!