Who is Matilda Djerf and why has her label caused so much controversy?

If you’ve spent any time on FashionTok, you would be familiar with the name Matilda Djerf. The Swedish influencer is best known for her voluminous hair, laid back style and her cult following of over three million on Instagram and another million on TikTok.

Matilda’s popularity is unparalleled, and has allowed her to kick off her own fashion label, Djerf Avenue. The brand perfectly represents everything Matilda is: Minimal, clean and cool. Her designs are nothing out of the ordinary, instead, she chooses to focus on basics such as trench coats, blazers and slacks. (Aussie fans can get their hands on her Scandi cool via her website which ships globally.)

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A post shared by MATILDA DJERF (@matildadjerf)

It’s what her followers want from her, and since the inception of her brand, you could say she has definitely delivered.

In fact, Djerf Avenue’s success became hard to track at one point, with the label just recently having launched in the United States.

However, only a month later, Matilda’s loyal fanbase began to turn, and what was once the brand every 'It Girl' was sporting, quickly became rife with controversy, causing Matilda to deactivate her TikTok altogether.

So … what happened?

What did Matilda Djerf do?

Well, nothing really. And what we mean by that is that we’re not entirely sure if she’s behind everything that’s taken place so far. 

Fans have, however, alleged that the team behind Matilda’s TikTok account have been reporting smaller creators because they showed dupes of Djerf Avenue clothes.

It’s important to note that dupes are not replicas, and it’s certainly not an illegal practice. Instead, it promotes accessibility, and allows people to try popular products without the hefty price tag.

Matilda herself has also posted dupes of luxury designer items in the past, and is one of the reasons she has such a large fan base. 

TikTok users are now sharing screenshots of Matilda's team allegedly reporting their videos for copyright infringement, simply because they shared more affordable options of clothes sold by Djerf Avenue. 

"So, I just woke up to this, which is a trademark warning from Matilda Djerf," TikTok user @sumarslays said.

@sumarslays #greenscreen the way that immediately changed after waking up in my djerf avenue pajamas today #fruitpajamas #amazonalternatives #djerfavenuehaul ♬ original sound - aliya

"In this video, non-stop, all I could talk about was how [the Amazon pyjama set] wasn't an alternative. I love the Djerf pyjamas, and basically the Amazon ones aren't worth it," she explained.

Allegedly, Matilda's team is also reporting content creators who recreated her outfits where she wasn’t wearing anything from Djerf Avenue. 

How are users on TikTok feeling?

After multiple creators came forward with the same experience, users on TikTok began to turn against Matilda.

The act of reporting smaller influencers for providing useful information and dupes left a bad taste in people’s mouths, with many saying it’s “hypocritical”.

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A post shared by MATILDA DJERF (@matildadjerf)

"She’s literally selling typical Scandi pieces for waaay more than they’re worth and saying that she invented them, like whatt??," wrote one user.

Another person commented saying, “kinda hypocritical that she said she has taken inspiration from other brand's clothes but copywriting others for doing the same?”

What does Matilda Djerf have to say about the controversy?

The first thing Matilda’s team did was remove and filter any negative comments on her TikTok account, which just riled people up even further.

Then, the account was deactivated. It’s currently not known whether Matilda was behind the decision, and if her account has been permanently removed, or just temporarily.

Over on Instagram, Djerf Avenue shared a statement saying their Intellectual Property lawyers (IP) have been flagging content they believe infringes on their copyright.

"Unfortunately, there has been a recent surge in websites selling products with our copyrighted prints and owned prints/artworks (e.g. the summer berries and fruit print)," the statement read.

"Our hand-drawn prints are copyrighted under the company name Matildadjerf design AM. Any types of videos/content with our prints that are used on non Djerf Avenue items, such as 'dupes', will automatically be reported due to copyright infringement by our IP firm and is consistently removed by content platforms in accordance with their infringement policies."

User @sumarslays, whose real name is Aliya, later revealed that Matilda’s team had sent her a private message on TikTok blaming their IP firm for the mishap. However, she recently posted an update saying she's been on a "goose chase" because Djerf Avenue isn't sticking to their promise to make things right. 

@sumarslays Replying to @M just waiting for this to be resolved already, what do you guys think? #djerfavenue #fruitpajamas #amazonalternatives #matildadjerf #djerfavenuecontroversy ♬ original sound - aliya

"I'm just feeling frustrated because with their [Instagram] Story, they felt so apologetic, and as someone who was a long term fan, if this was handled correctly, I would forgive, I would forget and I would delete the video," she said in her TikTok video.

"This didn't just happen to me. This happened to a number of small creators, and I think for small creators it's hard to start from scratch again. So if our accounts get banned because of this trademark situation, it's just upsetting."

Matilda herself is yet to address the situation, but she still remains active on Instagram.

Feature image: Instagram @matildadjerf.

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