To soften the tariff impact and wholesale challenges, OpéraSport opened a warehouse in the States in November 2025, which “significantly reduces last-mile shipping costs, shortens delivery times, and lowers the risk of failed deliveries and returns”, Stelter says. “This improves conversion rates and customer satisfaction, which ultimately offsets the upfront tariff costs.”
In addition, having inventory closer to the customer allows OpéraSport to scale in the US market more efficiently, she adds. “We can support wholesale and [direct-to-consumer] DTC growth, and operate with more predictable logistics and pricing,” Stelter says. “For us, it’s a strategic investment rather than just a cost-saving measure.”
Without this investment, the current trade setup makes the US a difficult prospect, if you’re not established. “[The US] is such a challenging market to be profitable [in],” says Tina Raasteen, co-CEO of Copenhagen womenswear label Herskind, which has around 10 US stockists, but still does most of its business in Europe. “I think all brands, including us, need to take case by case what accounts we can afford to work with. In the wholesale model, the big players are pushing back the risk on brands, and few brands can afford it.”
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Some of Copenhagen’s smaller labels were less exposed to major US retail, and so they’ve managed to swerve tariff setbacks and unfulfilled payments. “It feels like retailers are holding back money, but in a way, since we’re still a quite small brand, we’re not as affected as I hear other brands [are],” Copenhagen rising star Nicklas Skovgaard told Vogue Business backstage after his FW26 show. The LVMH Prize finalist, who launched his eponymous label in 2020, sells on Ssense, as well as at US boutiques like Maimoun, Café Forgot, and Mr. Larkin.
“The Ssense [bankruptcy] filing did not directly affect the health of my business, and they do not owe me any outstanding payments,” Skovgaard says. “However, it did highlight the broader uncertainty within the wholesale market at the moment. Seeing a major platform navigate challenges naturally prompted me to reflect more strategically on how to move forward — particularly around diversification, pacing growth, and being thoughtful about which partners truly align with the long-term vision of the brand.”
Other Copenhagen brands still see potential, with the correct positioning. “All different countries have their own issues that are going on, but I do feel there are more stable economies to look to than [the US economy] at this time,” says Ariana Milton, who heads up commercial strategy for Copenhagen-based brand Forza Collective. Founded and creatively led by designer Kristoffer Kongshaug, the brand does about 80% of its business DTC with a “very small footprint in the US” for now, Milton says.
