Armed with her signature blonde blow-out and impeccable clothing taste, Matilda Djerf created an online empire that propelled Scandi chic to new heights.
Hence, her recent fall from grace came as a shock to fashion followers across Europe.
The prominent Swedish influencer and founder of Djerf Avenue faced significant backlash earlier this week, following allegations of fostering a toxic workplace.
An investigative report by Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet featured testimonies from 11 current and former employees, accusing the popular creative of bullying, favouritism, and fat-shaming.
The 27-year-old issued an apology on Instagram, acknowledging her inexperience in leadership and outlining steps to improve the work environment, such as hiring experienced management and implementing anonymous feedback systems.
However, it has emerged that there were ripples of concern surrounding the influencer’s actions stemming from last year.
One thread on Reddit highlighted a user’s unpleasant experience with the star, writing: “Matilda wasn’t at all nice to me at an event I was invited to by her brand, Djerf Avenue. She made me want to cry when I met her. I went up to her very nicely for a photo, as I had driven 7 hours to get to the damn event. She saw me and said ‘No, I’m not doing photos.’ I asked for a hug. She gave me the most disgusted hug you could get from a person.”
The post garnered great interest, with another user writing: “I had a similar experience at the event. My friend approached Matilda at the event to take a photo with us, and Matilda scolded us that she was talking with someone (an influencer who she was literally seated with at the same table the entire night). Matilda told us we could take a ‘quick’ photo but it left me and my friend feeling like we were bothering her. Sort of bewildering since this was an event for her fans.”
While Reddit is far from the most concrete of sources, it goes to show that the fashion world needn’t live up to its toxic reputation and should instead platform creatives with integrity, empathy and professionalism.