Hardware Podcasts

Tumi & Roam Luggage: Charlie Clifford

How I Built This · 25 Jul 2022 · 1h 07m

What this episode covers

Charlie Clifford, founder of Tumi and Roam, recounts building two premium luggage brands while navigating three existential crises: the 1982 recession, the post-9/11 travel collapse, and the pandemic. He details Tumi's pivot from leather to ballistic nylon, its acquisition by Samsonite, and the launch of Roam, a customizable, direct-to-consumer brand made in the US. Clifford emphasizes bootstrapping Roam, avoiding rapid venture capital scaling, and focusing on product innovation and brand integrity during severe market downturns.

Most relevant to

established companies and early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Samsonite, Peloton, Balenciaga, Canada goose, H&M, Lama Line, Oak Tree Capitol, Away, GTC
Products
Tumi, Roam, Dom Perignon, Hartman luggage
Also
Samuel, Seth Mcquillan, Jeff Brotelson, Scott Harris

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