American Tourister is a brand of suitcase. Immigrant Sol Koffler founded American Luggage Works in Providence, Rhode Island in either 1933 with his life savings. He was determined to produce luggage priced at $1 in the midst of the Great Depression. The company's breakthrough came soon after when Koffler devised a new line that was significantly better than that of the competition; he named it American Tourister.
In 1970, American Tourister launched a memorable ad campaign, highlighting the durability of its product by unleashing a "gorilla" (actually a man in a costume) on it. The commercial ran for fifteen years. It was also shown briefly in the 1995 film, Apollo 13.
In 1993, American Tourister was acquired by Astrum International, which also made Samsonite luggage. Astrum was renamed the Samsonite Corporation two years later. American Tourister has now become a lower-end version of its Samsonite sister brand. |
