In 1975, fresh off two years in the Peace Corps in Peru—where he fell for the rustic, handcrafted leather goods he saw locals carrying—Charlie Clifford co-founded TUMI with a modest $10,000 investment. What began as a line of rugged "naked leather" duffels and weekenders grew, over the following decades, into one of the most celebrated names in premium travel gear. It's the kind of first act most founders would happily retire on.
Instead, more than four decades later, Clifford did it again. In ...