American Tourister is a well known brand of suitcase.
Immigrant Sol Koffler founded American Luggage Works in Providence, Rhode Island in either 1932[1] or 1933[2] with his life savings. He was determined to produce luggage priced at $1 in the midst of the Great Depression.[2] 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.[2]
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)[3] on it. The commercial ran for fifteen years.[3] It was also shown briefly in the 1995 movie, Apollo 13.
In 1993, American Tourister was acquired by Astrum International, which also made Samsonite luggage.[4] Astrum was renamed the Samsonite Corporation two years later.[5]
American Tourister has now become a lower-end version of its Samsonite sister brand.