Matilda Djerf as a creator, building a mental health and inclusive fashion brand

“There will be times in your life when you feel like you.”

In a world where “fast fashion” is the norm, many consumers are looking for brands that focus on sustainable practices, timeless fashion and community involvement. Matilda Djerf is a Swedish designer, model and founder of the important fashion brand Djerf Street.

The brand was founded in 2019 with the aim of creating a fashion brand that stands the test of time. In their first year of operation, they made waves in the fashion industry with their unique design and commitment to sustainability.

The Jerf Avenue collection of wardrobe basics is produced in Portugal, Italy and Sweden and Matida is involved in every step of the process. After shipping their first line from a rented warehouse in Sweden, the brand has grown exponentially. With revenues of over $2 million in its first year, Djerf Avenue has now doubled that figure, with offices in both Sweden and the US.

Authenticity is a top priority at Jerf Avenue, where models and photos are never retouched, and the items you see are the actual pieces you’ll receive after placing your order. The pieces are designed by Mattila, and she draws inspiration from her travels, Swedish roots and personal style. From the choice of fabric to the design, details are carefully considered.

Sitting on new couches in the Swedish office on Jerf Avenue and surrounded by close colleagues, Matilda took a moment to talk about the brand.

Gustaf Lundberg Thoreson: How did you get started as a creator?

Matilda Jerff: It all started in the year I traveled to the Caribbean in 2016 with my boyfriend, Rasmus, who is now the CEO of Whip Street. I started a blog for my family and friends while I was traveling. I only brought a small camera on that trip, and we shot bikini looks and posted them on Instagram. Next thing I knew, I had 3,000 followers. It was major. You should have more followers in 2016.

After that we went back to Sweden for six months, then Bali and Australia for six months. That’s when I hit 100,000 followers and when I got back to Sweden I had a decision to make: I could either go back to my job at the juice bar or make a living on Instagram and see what happens. I decided I could always find another job if this didn’t work out, but it worked out.

Lundberg Thoresson: You’re almost immediately into social media full-time. What did you learn from the early days and what mistakes did you make?

Brave. At first I posted photos as I went, and then I did brand partnerships. I did some modeling so that I could finance the trip. So, I’ve been spending a lot of time back in Sweden, but I’d say it won’t feel like full-time work until 2018.

In the early days, I was learning how to build relationships with brands and how to execute the content well. I had to learn invoicing and other basic business stuff.

The biggest mistake I made was probably taking too many jobs for free. When I started, brands weren’t really paying micro influencers. It was such a new industry that I think people didn’t know what they were paying or the cost of the work. At the end of the day though, it’s a job, and most people have learned that it should be taken seriously. Even if you’re a micro-influencer, you’re exposing your followers to their product.

Lundberg Thoresson: Where is your audience based?

Brave. When I started, I was partnering with Australian brands so there were a lot of Australians. Now it’s the US, the UK and France. Australia is still on the list. Sweden may be number four on the list of Instagram followers.

While I’m from Sweden, many people ask me why I have so many followers from the US. I don’t really know. I think it’s because I speak English on my channel. Partly because I met a lot of new friends while traveling and most of them don’t understand Swedish. I wanted to update my friends in English, so it became natural.

Lundberg Thoresson: You’ve talked about your mental health and eating disorders on your channels. What was your thinking behind this?

Brave. I think I made that decision when I started getting followers. At that point, I realized what I was saying and putting it out there was actually being heard by a lot of people. I wanted to use it to reach that and I think it’s worth it if only one person can help me with my experiences and problems.

I also want to be the person I turn to when I have an eating disorder. It’s something a lot of people go through, but you feel lonely when you’re in it. I talked about this, and I wanted to be a safe place for other people.

Lundberg Thoresson: How did you go from being a creator to being a full-time entrepreneur and starting Jerf Street?

Brave. I did some design collaborations with two Australian and one Swedish brand. And in that time, I felt like I brought a lot to the table. I had a lot of insight and felt like I wasn’t getting that much in return. I wanted to know where items were made, what models they used and how to shoot the model photos and decide whether or not to retouch them. But I was not allowed to participate in that decision.

When I started I was also doing modeling gigs, and I was shocked at the way this world works. One brand edited me three sizes smaller. I seriously asked him that knowing what these companies show online is not what the customer gets when they order the clothes.

That’s when Rasmus and I decided to give it a try and do it our own way. We just went with no business plan or anything.

Lundberg Thoresson: What were the early days of Djerf Avenue like?

Brave. That first collection came out of a selfish idea when I wanted to produce items I missed in my wardrobe. We launched our first collection in December 2019, and it sold out almost immediately. We had no space for the products so we found empty warehouse spaces to rent for the weekend.

For months, we would store all the boxes of unsold extras in my mom and dad’s apartment, and my old room became a box store. In the beginning, we would have one or two orders a day, so mom and dad could pack those orders. When we need to restock, we find a new place to rent for three days and move back to Mom and Dad’s apartment. Finally we rented an office and warehouse here in Stockholm.

Our first tenant was my brother’s girlfriend, Agnes. First we gave her tea and cinnamon buns to teach her all about the industry. She would help us for a couple of hours after office hours and help us figure it all out. She is now our Head of Product.

That first collection is the majority of our core collection today, which I’m really proud of. I think we only did two items for the first launch, the rest are still part of the main collection.

Lundberg Thoresson: What was it like visiting factories and deciding who to work with when you didn’t have much experience in that part of the industry?

Brave. In the beginning, I took every modeling job as I could finance our work. We were in Portugal and found a factory in a different Portuguese city that we wanted to work for. We contacted many different factories and agencies, but no one answered, but this one finally did. They were the first people in our thoughts, and we still work with them today.

I remember when we got the first sample and we could really only see it from the customer’s point of view. However, Agnes, our head of production, can look at it from a designer’s point of view and look at the details and the stitching. I myself have a lot of clothes and I know what color and material I feel is right and wrong, but it is better if you tell me if the quality is good or not. We owe a lot to Agnes for helping us.

Lundberg Thoresson: How do you think about building the team on Djerf Avenue?

Brave. You must like to work, be a problem solver and take your own initiative. I always say passion is the best personality trait, and you need it to be part of a startup company.

It’s a lot of work, and you need to love that. We have such a great group of people who share the same passion for brand and vision. We all understand where we want to go with Djerf Avenue. So, when looking for new hires we always try to find someone like that who likes to get their hands dirty but is also ambitious.

Lundberg Thoresson: What advice do you have for someone starting a business with their partner?

BraveI would say make sure you have clear roles in the business. When we started, we didn’t have a particularly clear role on the influencer side, which made it challenging. Establish clear roles within the business and communicate directly. Another thing is to turn off work when you get home. We’re not good at this yet, but I think it’s important to have a place in the house where you’re not working.

Lundberg Thoresson: Looking back on your life and what you have accomplished, what advice would you give to 18-year-old Matilda?

Brave. I say, “There will be times in your life when you feel like yourself.” Growing up, especially in my teenage years, I always felt like I didn’t belong. I felt out of place. School wasn’t for me and I didn’t fit in – I couldn’t wait to graduate and run away. Going through these feelings as a teenager probably has a lot to do with how I approach everything today.

Lundberg Thoresson: What’s the story behind your hair and the latest TikTok trends?

Brave. I don’t really understand it, but it was Pinterest before I was on Tik Tok. It embarrasses me and flatters me so much but I don’t know why. My hair has always been an interesting thing for me. I never really liked makeup, so I used to do my friends’ hair. Then in 2017 I cut off my curtain bands and people started reposting my photos. It’s been a subject point ever since.

Lundberg Thoresson: What’s next for Matilda, Rasmus and Djerf Avenue?

Brave. Well, Djerf Avenue is still growing, which we are happy about. We’ve got our new website and we’re relaunching our resale pages. That is our own marketplace where customers can sell their products to their friends and other customers. It is a safe place for customers to trade with each other, and prices do not increase much. I’ve seen some of our items being resold by people online and that’s something I can’t get behind, so I wanted to give our customers a collection point to resell their items. It is currently available in the US, and we are working on making it available globally.

The discussion has been edited and added for clarity.

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