Published October 2007

It is less than a year old, but the Beirn handbag collection is already on fire. Rita Overzat and her two daughters, Ali Trier and Jenna Overzat, dreamed up the collection on a trip to Bali, where they concluded that the only way to find the luxurious luggage they wanted was to make it themselves. The trio handled everything from the designs to the marketing, advertising and product placement. Even the Beirn moniker (Which is Ali and Jenna’s middle name) is a nod to the fact that this is a homegrown family business.

The Beirn collection includes the popular Jenna hobo for $310 at retail, zip clutches of various sizes ranging from $105 to $150, a traveler’s tote for $575 and baby bag Emma for $295. The bags are available in 25 colors, all glossed over with Mowilex to enhance their vividness and richness. Each piece is made of Indonesian water snake and is lined with canvas in juxtaposing colors and accented with a brass snap and zipper.

The guiding force behind the Beirn collection is Rita Overzat’s belief in simplified luxury at an affordable price. “I don’t think price defines luxury,” says Rita Overzat, a former executive at Saks Fifth Avenue and Badgley Mischka, and current president and founder of New York-based luxury showroom The RJM Group. “It’s how you wear it and the way you interpret it yourself.”

Beirn bags can be found in more than 29 boutiques and shops around the country, from Searle, Plaza Too and Calypso in New York to Fred Segal in California, as well as in Mexico and Turks and Caicos. Since launching earlier this year, sales have topped $300,000.

Going forward, the three entrepreneurs plan to build on the success of the women’s handbag line to design belts and small leather goods, and venture into the gentlemen’s handbag market as well.

Written by Sarah Perpich for WWD Accessories, October 2007.