Bouncy blonde curls, sun-kissed skin, and white satin slips, Matilda Djerf’s effortlessly chic look has taken the internet by storm. The Swedish-based influencer built a name for herself by documenting her picturesque lifestyle across Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. Her feed is often described as an embodiment of the revered ‘clean girl’ aesthetic with a touch of European summer. Djerf has become a Gen-Z icon; a modern fashion ‘it girl’.

What keeps so many coming back to Djerf’s socials for more is arguably her ability to rock traditionally masculine styles without sacrificing her femininity. The “she wears short skirts; I wear T-shirts” era of the internet reaffirmed the dated idea that a girl must dress herself in diamonds and Dior in order to win the affections of a boy. However, Djerf alongside many other influencers are kissing this 2000s archetype goodbye by showing young girls that snapbacks and sneakers can be feminine. Djerf’s lookbooks prove that fashion transcends the historically rigid boundaries of gender. Now, slacks, blazers, and New Balance 550s are becoming staples in the closets of girls across the world, and Matilda Djerf is one of the many faces behind this movement.

However, the twenty-five-year-old is so much more than a social media star with a to-die-for Instagram. In 2019, Matilda Djerf alongside her boyfriend Rasmus Johansson founded Djerf Avenue: a clothing line that brought her ‘girl-on-the-go’ style to life. The brand’s website allows customers to shop Djerf’s iconic masculine-meets-feminine style that so many young girls have begun to idolize.

Her business was instantly a hit. In 2021, Vogue reported the brand was making an estimated $8 million in sales, and later on in 2022, Djerf Avenue was bringing in an estimated $22 million in sales revenue (Insider). In addition to producing sellout styles, one of the core values of Djerf’s multi-million dollar business is inclusivity: a common pitfall of the modern fashion industry. In an exclusive interview with the New York Times, Djerf explains, “What was [most] important to me was that this was a fashion brand that was completely welcoming and inclusive of everyone.” And Djerf Avenue became just that. Upon scrolling through the company’s lookbook, you will immediately see the diversity of the brand’s models, which is a common criticism faced by many big names in fashion. Djerf makes the promise to her customers not to fall victim to this modern fashion fallacy and follows through.

Djerf even goes beyond the issue of representation and explicitly states on her brand’s website that the models on the Djerf Avenue website and social media will never be retouched in any manner. To quote the official Djerf Avenue website, “our photos come straight from the camera roll.” Although brands don’t necessarily need a pat on the back for promising the bare minimum, it is refreshing to see a brand making active strides toward a more inclusive future in fashion.

Matilda Djerf and her brand are not only bringing fresh looks to the table but also doing so in a way that is keeping up with the times. Her iconic style and refreshing progressivism are two themes that we as a society hope to see continue throughout her success.