Making Djerf a household name
It was a gray summer’s day, but on the first floor of a grand office block typically occupied by bankers and shipping brokers, Matilda Djerf was basking in the glory of Midsommar.
Djerf, a 25-year-old social media influencer who founded fashion brand Djerf Avenue with her boyfriend, Rasmus Johansson, in 2019, has forged a fast-growing business empire on tantalizing glimpses of her soft-focus Scandi dream life — not to mention one of TikTok’s most emulated haircuts. But on this day, while in her immaculate headquarters, all whitewashed walls and blond floors, there wasn’t a flower crown or embroidered frock in sight. Instead, she watched footage of a group of girls nearly 6,000 miles away, in California, who had thrown a party themed around the traditional Swedish celebration of the summer solstice in her honor.
“We try to be more than a fashion brand,” said Djerf (pronounced gerf ). “We are just as focused on building a community.”
Djerf flicked through shots that would later be uploaded to the brand’s Instagram account. The girls, in a range of shapes, sizes and skin tones, beamed in sellout styles like the Dream Dress ($199) or Tie Tank Tops ($119). Nearby, Djerf Avenue employees, identically dressed in oversize poplin shirts and loosely tailored black slacks that mirrored Djerf ’s masculine-meets-feminine style, tapped away on laptops.
“A lot of customers apply to be models,” Djerf said. “They are so loyal and so devoted. We call them our Djerf Angels. They love to be part of our world.”
Or, more specifically, Matilda Djerf ’s world. By buying her clothes and
emulating her lifestyle, a growing number of customers believe they can be like Djerf.
She commands a following of 2.6 million on Instagram and 1 million on TikTok on her personal accounts. Those are sizable social media metrics but a far cry from those of American peers such as Addison Rae or Charli D’Amelio. She doesn’t post often. Nor is she the first influencer to create her own brand. What sets Djerf apart is the devotion she engenders in her fans — and the way she and Johansson, chief executive of Djerf Avenue, have leveraged her popularity to build a profitable business with expected sales revenues of $22 million this year, up from $8 million in 2021.
“Matilda Djerf has this very tailored brand and aesthetic that still feels candid and relatable,” said Chelsea Davignon, a senior strategist focused on youth trends at forecasting agency Fashion Snoops, who praised Djerf ’s ability to master “the formula” across generations and platforms. “She doesn’t flood her feed with other brands or sponsored content. Instead, she offers an effortlessly cool lifestyle that doesn’t feel too out of reach.”
Especially for women who don’t look like her.
Djerf and Johansson are high school sweethearts,
and after graduating in 2016, they went backpacking. They started taking photographs of their travels, which she would then post on her fledgling Instagram account.
By the time they returned to Sweden in 2017, she had 100,000 followers.
By 2019, Djerf realized she didn’t want to do brand partnerships or collaborations; she wanted her own brand. That December, Djerf Avenue released an initial drop of nine pieces that Djerf felt were missing from her own wardrobe. It sold out overnight.
Now, 2 years on, Djerf Avenue produces about 10 drops a year, with a logistics warehouse opening in the United States this fall to better cater to its largest market.
“What I wanted with Djerf Avenue was to give people classic and comfortable staples that they can wear again and again or style in multiple ways over years,” she said, pointing to an oversize caramel trench and matching stretch tube skirt and top. Sizes for the collections range from XXS to XXXL.
“What was even more important to me was that this was a fashion brand that was completely welcoming and inclusive of everyone,” Djerf said. “That was always my real dream.”