Matilda Saga Albertina Djerf, co-founder of fashion brand Djerf Avenue, was accused of perpetuating a toxic workplace. The 27-year-old influencer was named in an exposé by Aftonbladet. The Swedish publication interviewed multiple current and former Djerf Avenue staff members, all of whom alleged bullying, favoritism and body-shaming from Matilda’s company. In response to the news, Djerf Avenue broke its silence in a statement.
“This is ongoing work, and this year, we’ve made some important changes to improve the work culture at Djerf Avenue,” a statement from the brand read, obtained by The Cut. “Amongst other things, we have hired a more experienced management team, we have introduced monthly anonymous surveys to collect feedback and take action, we have also set up an external organizational psychologist to access our workplace. We are also in the process of bringing in an additional external HR professional to support the organization.”
So, what did Matilda do? Find out what happened and see her response, below.
Matila is a Swedish influencer and businesswoman who co-founded Djerf Avenue with her boyfriend, Rasmus Johansson. Johansson reportedly serves as the CEO of the brand.
Multiple former and current employees of Matilda’s company depicted a toxic workplace in an exposé published by Aftonbladet. Some staffers claimed they lost sleep, suffered panic attacks and returned home crying from work some days, per Fast Company. One former staffer accused Matilda of “[yelling] at us” and “[calling] us names.” Another person claimed that Matilda would be angry “if there was no coffee,” “if someone was sitting in the wrong seat,” or “if her food hadn’t been heated up” for her. A separate person claimed that Matilda had her own personal toilet in the office, and when someone accidentally used it, another employee had to “scrub the toilet before Matilda could use it again.”
One accuser even told Aftonbladet that the workplace at Djerf Avenue was “psychological terror.”
