The label produces its clothing in Portugal, Italy and Sweden – under fair conditions and according to ethical standards. And is therefore not only popular with Gen Z, but also with us.
Anyone who (like me and so many other members of Generation Z) is “inspired” by TikTok trends and aesthetic lifestyle videos to make all sorts of purchase decisions can no longer avoid Matilda Djerf. The Swedish influencer and fashion designer was one of the first Instagram personalities to sport an aesthetic that’s now known as the “Vanilla Girl.”
“Vanilla Girls” in the sense of the TikTok trend are defined by their subtly made-up skin, beautifully minimalistic furnished apartments in an old building and a wardrobe with a color palette that only oscillates between creamy white and dark beige. “Vanilla Girls” like to go for long walks in nature, buy flowers and matcha lattes as an act of self-care, and have a (but only one!) fancy cocktail at the weekend. But when ZEIT posted an Instagram post about the “Vanilla Girl” aesthetic, angry comments rained down.
The reason: The newspaper had chosen Matilda Djerf as the cover photo for the post. And even though the influencer has certainly made a major contribution to the fact that millions of young women are now copying her aesthetic, I can understand the furor: the 26-year-old Swede is not “just” an influencer, but also runs an extremely successful clothing label, that links the range of Djerf with fair conditions: Djerf Avenue. The online label produces its clothes in Portugal, Italy and Sweden – under fair conditions and according to ethical standards. Only natural or recycled fibers are used in production, all labels are made of organic cotton and not plastic, and the packaging material is 100 percent recyclable. The clothes themselves are above all timeless basics; white shirts, black blazers, classic denim jeans. In times of fast fashion and ecological crises, the clothes from Djerf Avenue should represent an alternative, namely last a long time and be combinable again and again.
The label has a similar approach ALOHAS, which only uses vegan fabrics for its shoes and only produces on demand. This means that with a pre-order system, they can predict how much demand there is for a product – and thus specify the production number. So there is no overproduction and less waste. Regardless of their ethical and ecological approaches, the products from ALOHAS and Djerf Avenue are one thing above all: beautifully and stylishly designed. Vanilla Girl or not, Matilda Djerf is one of the few influencers using her reach to make the fashion world a fairer place.