Swedish Influencer Matilda Djerf has taken the world by storm with her minimalistic chic outfits, shiny blonde hair, and Djerf Avenue.
Djerf started influencing in 2016 by showcasing her travels around the world. By the end of that year, she had gained over 100,000 followers on Instagram. With such a huge following, what set Djerf apart from other influencers was that she had never released a collaborative project with a fast-fashion company.
Djerf was motivated to have full creative control of her products, so she created Djerf Avenue. Established in 2019, Djerf Avenue is Djerf’s personal clothing brand. It specializes in non-seasonal, chic, high-quality elevated basics.The first ‘core collection’—still available to shop- sold out within minutes. As Djerf’s following grew, so did the brand’s customers and products. In 2022, Djerf Avenue made 34.5 million dollars in revenue.
The company’s success can be credited to Matilda’s social media image. The pictures of her outfits, days at work, and holidays make her content aspirational but someone that you can still relate to. Those she inspires will want to emulate her; and what’s better than Djerf Avenue? Oh, you love Matilda’s style? you can wear the same things too… just go on DjerfAvenue.com
Unfortunately, the company’s high popularity and demand landed it in the all-immersive world of TikTok and Amazon dupes.
The ‘go slow’ fruit print pyjamas caused quite a controversy near the end of 2023. When Djerf Avenues private IP firm, started copyright-striking creators promoting the £20 ‘dupes’(copies) on Amazon. However, copyright strikes affected a creator promoting the real product.
This sent TikTok into outrage. They declared Djerf’s designs unoriginal and claimed that the company had no leg to stand on, as some of their designs, such as their trench coat, were inspired by a vintage trench coat Djerf already owned—thus creating a dupe themselves.
Jordan Theresa highlights the difference between inspiration and a direct copy of someone’s design. Trench coats have been around for years, and past trench coats inspire them.
As Miranda Priestly once said: ‘’In 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns, and then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent who showed cerulean military jackets.”Fashion constantly reinvents things and takes inspiration from what is already there. Therefore, I don’t agree with the claims against Djerf Avenue for creating dupes.
The ‘go slow’ fruit print pyjamas retail at £108 pounds and are made of Tencel lyocell, a plant-derived fiber. The Amazon ‘dupes’ are a polyester blend that cost a fraction of the original price—£20.
TikTok has popularised finding dupes, whether of the Lululemon body-shaping jacket or the Bottega Venetta handbags. Dupes are everywhere, and there’s always a creator on your for you page urging you to click the link in the caption to purchase this ‘wonderful dupe.’
It is nothing new that human beings love a bargain. However, as the designer Gaia tells Rolling Stone when he was asked about his designs being stolen, he says: ‘’I’m upset, of course, but more so, it makes me upset when I see young people promoting the dupes. We as a society have become so accustomed to easy and fast consumption …and the dupes just promote a really kind of toxic culture of that’
The TikTok dupe culture has promoted easily accessible overconsumption, and with that comes a surge in micro trend cycles. Barber states that ‘’the fashion industry is pumping out enough clothing to clothe the human population 12 times over.’’ These vast trend cycles pollute the planet and are often made under unethical standards.
Of course, not everyone can afford to spend £108 on pyjamas. However, supporting an Amazon copy of a design that even has the audacity to use the same pictures as those on the Djerf Avenue website is just morally wrong.
Ethically produced clothing comes with a price tag—the company pays its garment workers a fair wage, uses sustainable materials, and has to make a profit as well. But the TikTok generation chooses to ignore these factors and opt for dupes that don’t fit these standards because it is not your reality, and you just want the clothes.
Gaia tells Rolling Stone: ‘’But I don’t think exploiting people who are even less fortunate than you is the solution. As someone who grew up with no disposable income, I filled up a closet, and I always looked cool’’ highlighting that there are other more ethical ways to express yourself through clothing.
For instance, Shein, the fast-fashion giant, is worth close to 64 billion dollars, and despite the criticism and claims about stealing designs, wrongful treatment of garment workers, and environmental impact, it continues to thrive. Creators still promote the brand with their ” Shien hauls.”
The hashtag #sheinstolemydesign has amassed over 2.4 million views in outrage at small independent designers having their work stripped from them. AJ, a young designer who has been affected, tells Daze: ‘’What stuck with AJ is one comment. “It said something like, ‘Thanks for telling me when I can buy your design cheaper.’ We spent hours picking the fabric. We did wrinkle tests. We even found snaps from a small family-owned company here in the US. I did a year of work with no financial backing, just my finances. They sell three versions for $8. How do you compete with that?”
And that is exactly the problem with this eternal sunshine approach to these TikTok dupes. We, as consumers, often do not see the months of preparation that go into creating, manufacturing, promoting, and eventually selling a fashion product. What I like about Djerf Avenue is that they show their work process on their Instagram daily. They’re engaging with their customers, thus building customer loyalty. Then, when a global giant like Amazon steals your design and people purchase it, it discredits all the hard work that has gone into creating that garment.
Therefore, I would argue in defense of Djerf Avenue, as that is their design. Fruit may not be ground-breaking, but that fruit print is synonymous with Djerf Avenue’s brand image. It is their work and, therefore, their property. The same can be said for music. An artist writes a song, and then someone goes on to literally copy it; just put a different name under it. You must protect your work and the integrity of your brand.
To round up this article, I would just like to reiterate that there is a difference between inspiration and blatant copying. I believe that as a society, we should encourage sustainability in fashion and understand where our clothes come from. With this awareness, we will be able to make conscious decisions about where and when we shop.