After returning to New York in 2004, where he had been living, Inthavong co-launched Be & D, a designer handbag  company sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols and other designer retailer worldwide. During his tenure, Inthavong further developed and utilized his talent and know-how of running production, while strengthening and exploring his design acumen and creativity.  In 2008, Be & D was licensed to create handbags for Diane Von Furstenberg, and in 2009 collaborated with fashion designers Doo.ri Chung and Rachel Roy on their New York Fashion Week runway collections. At the end of 2009, Inthavong announced his departure from Be & D.

 

 

 

Soon after, he returned to Laos to contemplate his life’s next journey.

 

 

 

Inthavong revisited the textile lessons he learned at his family’s silk mill years before and began to challenge the perceived limitations of the indigenous process that has existed for over 500 years.  He sought to improve and evolve the discipline, using as inspiration the world of leather goods he had just left behind. Thus began the painstaking practice of using a rare Laotian weaving technique to take finely cut micro-strips of leather and handlooming them into silk looms. Inthavong submitted a patent for this process in the Summer of 2010.

 

 

 

In September 2010, Inthavong became Creative Director and Designer of Be Inthavong, LLC, a textile and women’s accessories company.  Inthavong debuted his first solo handbag collection under his own name for Spring/Summer 2011 entitled The Heritage Weave Collection, where it was sold exclusively at select Saks Fifth Avenue in the US and Middle East. Shortly after in 2012, Be Inthavong, LLC only focused on the textile division and expanded the patent-pending fabric for apparel and interiors. Inthavong’s fabrics has been used for garments by brands such as Calvin Klein, Kiki De Monpartnasse and Bibhu Mohapatra. And for interiors, the signature fabric has been used as wall coverings, upholstery, head boards, drapes, amongst other in residential, yacht and airplanes. Be Inthavong, LLC won best textile in 2013 by the International Product Design Awards, in London.