English Version | There’s something about Matilda

01 Sep 2022
By Ana Murcho

Is it too risky to say that Matilda Djerf is the icon of a generation? We don't think so.

Is it too risky to say that Matilda Djerf is the icon of a generation? We don't think so.

Businesswoman, influencer, designer, model, content creator... Matilda Djerf is a bit of all these things — and yet she is none of them. She says so herself in an interview with Vogue Portugal: “I generally don’t like labels and I’m a person who wears many hats, but a business woman who owns my own clothing brand Djerf Avenue, with one foot in social media influencing? Is that a good introduction?” It is an excellent presentation. By now there will be few people who don't know Matilda. That is how, her fans refer to her, by her first name. The kind of admiration they show goes far beyond the simple like or the avid sharing of posts for future inspiration — who has never kept a picture of Matilda, the perfect personification of the Scandinavian dream life, with her perfect curls and immaculate looks, throw the first stone. There is a mutual affection between those who accompany Matilda's daily life and this 25-year-old Swede — whose dream was to “create a community” — who in 2019 decided to launch a clothing brand, Djerf Avenue, with her boyfriend, Rasmus Johansson. The rest, as they say, is history: Djerf, totally made in Portugal (we'll get to that), is an unparalleled success. Its quality basics, reflecting Matilda's acclaimed “effortlessly chic style”, sell out at lightning speed. With almost three million followers on Instagram — on TikTok she has “just over” one million, but the number promises to increase, as do the countless hashtags related to her unique style — Matilda Djerf is the woman of the moment, a new type of “idol” that, we dare say, will change the paradigm of social media influencers.

You started posting on Instagram in 2016, and two years later it became your career full-time. What was your job before all this exploded? I started working when I was around 14-15 and have tried many different jobs. Everything from selling fish to cleaning hotel rooms to working in a clothing store. Right before social media became a full time job for me I worked at a juice bar and started traveling with the money I had saved up. When out traveling in Bali and Australia I got a few modeling gigs that helped pay.

In 2019 you launched Djerf Avenue. At the time there were already a couple of “influencer brands” in the market. What made you think “I should have my own brand”? Was it a dream of yours? As mentioned I did a few modeling jobs here and there before I started Djerf Avenue, that gave me an insight in the industry. I think I was naive before that and thought what you see on a brands website is what you get when you order from them, I quickly realized that wasn’t the case. They would clip in clothing on me, edit my body and I just couldn’t stand for it. That combined with my long time passion for clothes and feeling like I was missing so many items in my closet that I couldn’t find on the market encouraged me and my partner Rasmus to start our own brand.

How would you describe Djerf’s aesthetics and mission? Our mission is to create a brand that you feel safe shopping from. I want our customers to feel welcomed, represented and taken care of. I want our customers to know that what they see online is what they get when their order arrives. It’s ok if items are wrinkly in photos, because when you wear clothing they will get wrinkled every now and then. I love the different characteristics of fabrics and I think that is something brands shouldn’t hide but rather embrace.

You have done collaborations with other brands, but it’s clear that you don’t pretend to be everywhere (your absence of Fashion Weeks is a good example) or to wear all the new, “cool” trends. How do you decides on the brands you want to collaborate with, or the ones you wear (besides Djerf Avenue, of course)? When it comes to my personal style I find it important to wear brands that I myself genuinely want to support and align with when it comes to values. It’s an exciting thought to play around with for Djerf Avenue and there are many fun, potential partnerships to explore. The main thing would be to find brands that share the same values as we do and that share the same passion for customers.

Djerf Avenue is not only extremely popular but also super successful. Products are restocked and they sell out in minutes. Why do you feel people feel so connected with it? I hope it’s because they feel as connected to us as we do to them!

You now have ten drops a year. How is the process of creating a new piece? It varies! Sometimes I’ll find a fabric that I love and that I know I want to create something with, I can let it lay on my desk for months just to find inspiration and then out of the blue it will pop up in my head - that was the case with our occasion top! One of my favorite tops ever. Other times I will product develop from current items or I’ll have an idea that I know I want to sample and will then find a fabric that is suitable. We work with amazing people in Portugal who know our brand in and out, so the sampling process can be surprisingly short and easy.

That was going to be my next question: why did you decide to settle Djerf’s production in Portugal? It’s funny you ask, before we knew what the brand was called, what items to produce, what the website should look like, we knew we wanted to produce in Portugal. It was given from the start. I have always heard about the incredible craftsmanship in Portugal so that in combination with being able to keep production in Europe was why we decided to produce in Portugal.

What are your plans for Djerf? What can you tell us about, say, the next drop? Right now we are working on a new website that will be launching in September, it is our most extensive project to date and we are so proud and excited to finally launch it. In combination with this we will also be rolling out our Djerf Avenue Re-sell page which has been in the works since  our first year. I am so proud of Djerf Avenue and what we have accomplished, but I am also so excited for what’s to come.

Imagine I am a new costumer: what piece should I buy first? I would say our favorite pants or breezy shirt - those two items have been our best sellers and are true reflections of Djerf Avenue. 

How do you decide on your outfits: are they mood-oriented, piece focused, do they depend on colors? I would say a mix of all! Some mornings I will decide an outfit based off one piece and some mornings I let my mood decide. Rarely colors!

It’s said that you have a keen eye for fashion. Were you always interested in style and clothes, did you always enjoy dressing up? For me clothing has always been a way of expressing myself, I remember accessorizing when I was 8 and wearing my moms kitten heels at home. I’ve always styled everyone in my family and friends have borrowed my clothes - it’s always been something I’ve enjoyed.

How do you feel when you read comments / watch videos that say things like “The feminine urge to be obsessed with Matilda Djerf”? Flattered! I always blush seeing those videos [laughs]

You are an icon to thousands of people (let’s include boys and men here because it’s a fact) all over the world. Do you feel the pressure to not let them down? I don’t think I feel the pressure to not let them down, I think I just feel the importance of truly being myself.

Do you have any icons? Who, or what, inspires you? It’s a good question that I often get but I find myself not having a good answer to it. I think most of all my parents inspire me. In different ways, but that is where I have found much of my inspiration and courage.

I read that you take the time to answer some questions directly, and that sometimes you even support small brands who reach out to you with no hope in hearing back. How do you manage all these requests? How do you balance social media, owning a new business and having a personal life? I spend hours going through my DM’s and answering them, I wouldn’t be here without the incredible online family that I today have. I love chatting with them and hearing what they have to say, their opinions and experiences. It’s truly special to be able to connect with so many people across the world. As for balance, I’m not the right person to ask! haha. Me and my boyfriend who is also the CEO of Djerf Avenue have started to really put away our phones to disconnect. It’s easy when you love your job to always be connected and working, but for it to be sustainable we need to also take time to recharge and disconnect. 

I came across an entry in your old blog when you wrote about the struggle to love your body image. How was it to share that you so many people, and how did you finally overcome it? It’s scary, but it’s worth it. If me talking about hardships I have gone through helps one person, it’s worth it. As for overcoming it, it’s taken a lot of time and a lot of work. I think the most important thing for me has been realizing asking for help is a strength and important for recovery.

Last one, but I bet it’s something people are eager do know: do you also spend time scrolling through social media, sharing memes and obsessing about images? YES! Most often I obsess over dog videos [laughs].

Translated from the original on The Gossip Issue of Vogue Portugal.Full credits and stories on the print issue.

Ana Murcho By Ana Murcho

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