Skagen
United States · Founded 1989
Founded in New York City in 1989 by Danish expatriates Henrik and Charlotte Jorst, who named the company after Skagen, Denmark's northernmost fishing town, and built the brand's identity around Danish/Scandinavian minimalist design despite the company itself being American from inception. First designs debuted at a NYC corporate-gift fair in 1991; launched under its own name in 1992 (~$800k first-year sales). Relocated to Lake Tahoe/Reno, Nevada in 1993. Opened a Denmark distribution office in 1998; annual sales approached $30M that year and reached ~$70M by 2005. Opened a Hong Kong regional office in 2007. Acquired by Fossil Group in January 2012 for roughly $237M in cash and stock; now operates as a Fossil Group brand with US operations centered around the Dallas, TX area and a design/regional presence in Denmark. Known for slim quartz cases (historically as thin as ~6mm) and lightweight stainless-steel 'safety mesh buckle' bracelets, sold mainly through department stores (Macy's, Nordstrom) and its own e-commerce site rather than dedicated boutiques. In October 2025 parent Fossil Group filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection tied to a UK restructuring; the Skagen brand and skagen.com continued operating through the point of this research (July 2026). Sources: Wikipedia (Skagen Designs); skagen.com collection and product pages.