Tortoise was honored to receive an invitation to speak at the recent WWD Retail Summit 20/20 Forum held in Tokyo, Japan.
Keiko Shinomoto, Tortoise co-owner, spoke among a panel of speakers that included Phillip Lim of 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rick Ridgeway of Patagonia, and Ramdane Touhami of Officine Universelle Buly among others.
The purpose of the Forum was to share ideas and new ways of thinking on how retail leaders can build artisanal, sustainable, and cutting-edge enterprises that appeal to a growing generation of discerning consumers and how this translates into creating physical retail spaces today and merging this into the digital consumer world.
Keiko spoke on how she and her husband Taku were guided by the Tortoise philosophy of 'slow and steady' when they first began Tortoise in 2003, focusing on a physical space that feels authentic and transportive. Keiko explained how the focus of Tortoise has always been to create community, and this way of nurturing relationships has led to growing Tortoise's network of vendors, artists and creatives that all contribute to the sustainability and evolution of Tortoise.
We are very proud of Keiko for speaking about Tortoise and sharing our story to the wonderful audience of the WWD Retail Summit 20/20!
Photo credit: Masayuki Saito for WWD