Why is everyone suddenly talking about Djerf Avenue?
IMAGE VIA @DJERFAVENUE/INSTAGARM
WORDS BY ZOE DEKA
The intersection of accessible and Scandi-cool.
The internet can easily sustain the illusion that everyone knows and cares about the same content you’re consuming. In the case of Djerf Avenue, the eponymous brand founded by Swedish influencer Matilda Djerf, it feels especially true.
The label has benefited from Matilda’s impressive online visibility. As someone with over two million Instagram followers (and more on TikTok), an enviable wardrobe and particularly fantastic hair, it’s easy to understand the appeal.
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In saying this, for a direct-to-consumer brand with an audience comprised of predominantly young women, $299 for a blazer seems like a lot. Some have highlighted that these same items could technically be bought for half the price at Zara – but if the look is so simple to attain from more accessible retailers, how has Matilda managed to make the brand desirable?
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The very simple answer to why everyone is suddenly falling over for Djerf Avenue’s European-chic separates? A gen Z-focused customer base and an airtight TikTok strategy. Engaging community through social platforms has helped grow Djerf Avenue through organic content; allowing the brand to share behind-the-scenes insights and keep communication informal.
“We prioritise our loyal customers over influencers,” Djerf told Vogue Business. To heighten the experience for these customers, Djerf Avenue has utilised Instagram’s ‘close friends’ list as well as Zoom to allow Matilda to personally connect with the brand’s community. Customers then share their positive experiences with the brand online, spreading the word across platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
This natural user-generated content also provides valuable customer insights for Matilda and her team, who are then able to see which items people are purchasing and how they’re choosing to style them. In turn, this helps to guide product development. This cyclical customer-centric approach seems to be doing well –according to The Australian, the brand made a reported $12 millin sales during 2021.
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Customer loyalty is also dependent on a strong belief in a product and its integrity. Djerf Avenue has established itself as a non-seasonal brand with a core collection ethically produced and manufactured in Portugal. The range occupies a space in strong opposition to fast fashion and its fickle micro-trends, often touted by macro influencers.
As reporter Ellie Dudley writes, Djerf Avenue pieces aren’t necessarily “mould-breaking”. The brand’s collection is comprised of versatile, high-quality wardrobe staples like simple striped shirts, cotton tees, blazers and tailored suit pants. Available in sizes XXS to XXL, the sentiment is that Djerf Avenue pieces are timeless, thoughtful and made to last.
Across her own social platforms, Matilda is often seen re-wearing pieces from her collection, reinforcing the adaptability and timelessness of her designs and adding credibility to the brand’s non-seasonal philosophy. “It’s really important for me that no matter what we release, you can style it with previous items,” Djerf stated in an interview with WWD. “To this day, the first pieces that we launched, we still have in our collections today.”
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The brand has committed itself to a high level of transparency around its production process, using multiple touchpoints like the website and social channels to highlight its sustainable manufacturing practices. Stories on the Djerf Avenue Instagram show the working conditions of their factories; something a lot of fashion labels intentionally choose not to share.
The smaller ways in which the brand opts to be more environmentally conscious are also given the spotlight. Djerf Avenue has dedicated a page to its use of natural corozo buttons; made from palm trees instead of plastic. Sustainable storytelling adds a genuine feel-good factor to buying into the brand.
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Matilda has also spoken about her choice to use only raw, unfiltered imagery. “We wanted to make sure that our customers know that what they see on the website is what they actually get,” she told WWD. “That’s why we don’t retouch any photos. We don’t retouch the clothes or pimples or anything.” A diverse range of models can be seen unposed, smiling and wearing minimal makeup; allowing women from all walks of life to see themselves reflected in the brand.
Djerf Avenue has a warm touch. It exists in a world of sunlit picnics, tiny decorated cakes, bunches of wildflowers and butterflies on the beach. At its core, Djerf Avenue is selling the idyllic lifestyle we all want – and I’m excited to see what’s to come.
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