Tumi
Encyclopedia
History
Tumi, Inc., a manufacturer of suitcaseSuitcase
A suitcase is a general term for a distinguishable form of luggage. It is often a somewhat flat, rectangular-shaped bag with rounded/square corners, either metal, hard plastic or made of cloth, vinyl or leather that more or less keeps its shape. It has a carrying handle on one side and is used...
s and bags for travel, is based in South Plainfield, New Jersey
South Plainfield, New Jersey
South Plainfield is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 23,385....
. Founded in 1975 by Charlie Clifford after a stint in the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, the company is named after a Peruvian ceremonial knife
Tumi
- History :Tumi, Inc., a manufacturer of suitcases and bags for travel, is based in South Plainfield, New Jersey. Founded in 1975 by Charlie Clifford after a stint in the Peace Corps in Peru, the company is named after a Peruvian ceremonial knife used for sacrifices. Tumi, Inc. has been a unit of...
used for sacrifices. Tumi, Inc. has been a unit of Doughty Hanson & Co. since 2004.
Tumi's products are known for their black-on-black ballistic nylon
Ballistic nylon
Ballistic nylon is a thick, tough, synthetic nylon fabric used for a variety of applications. Ballistic nylon was originally developed by the DuPont corporation as a material for flak jackets to be worn by World War II airmen...
. Tumi is available at department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s and specialty stores as well as over 120 Tumi stores and 200 shop in shops around the world.
Tumi also supplies accessories such as belts, pens, and electronic equipment. The company teamed with designer Anish Kapoor
Anish Kapoor
Anish Kapoor CBE RA is a British sculptor of Indian birth. Born in Mumbai , Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s when he moved to study art, first at the Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design.He represented Britain in the XLIV Venice...
in 2006 to produce the PowerPack Backpack that incorporated solar technology for charging phones and PDAs
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
. The company also had a licensing agreement with Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, launching a collection of eight co-branded
Co-branding
Co-branding refers to several different marketing arrangements:Co-branding, also called brand partnership, is when two companies form an alliance to work together, creating marketing synergy...
pieces in 2006 sold through both of the brands' retail outlets.
Tumi puts a metal plate with a unique 20-digit registration number in each of its bags. Customers can register for the Tumi Tracer program to have their contact information entered into a central database so they can be reunited with their bag if it is found.
Jerome Griffith became the CEO of Tumi Inc. in 2009.
Charity
In 2011, Tumi and reowned graffiti artist John "Crash" MatosJohn Matos
Crash is a graffiti artist. As early as 13, John Matos was spray painting New York City trains, the full image art as opposed to simpler tagging soon transferred to silk screened canvas. He was first noticed through his murals on subway cars and dilapidated buildings, he is now regarded as a...
have partnered to launch the "Tumi TAG" Charity auction to benefit AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA
ACRIA
The or ACRIA was founded in December 1991 to provide community based clinical drug trials for people living with AIDS. They also run the HIV Health Literacy Program . ACRIA can trace their history back to the founding of the Community Research Initiative by Michael Callen and Joseph Sonnabend....
). Only 1,000 pieces of each of the four styles were produced in addition to a one-of-a-kind iPhone case.