Love, Lesbians and Flatmates: An Interview with Malin and Jules
Written by Daphne Bryant
This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Malin Andree (she/her) and Julia Kershaw (they/she), fashion influencers that are probably most known for their adorable“ masc4masc” and lifestyle content on TikTok. Over the summer Malin and Jules had the genius idea to make a couples’ account (@malinandjules). You’ve probably seen them on your screen before, as they’re the most prominent representation for this generation of mascs who love mascs. Despite having over 50k loyal followers, content creation is not Andree or Kershaw’s full time job. It’s more of a fun hobby, one that allows them to be creative and bounce ideas off one another.“ We complete each other. The things that I struggle with are the things that [Malin] thrives at and vice versa,” says Kershaw.
The couple live and collaborate together in Stockholm, Sweden. While there are definitely a lot of queer people in Stockholm, there is a palpable lack of visibility.“ I rarely see mascs and barely see queer couples. [Malin and I], we stand out. People stare,” Kershaw says, in regards to both their fashion sense, gender presentation and the nature of their queer relationship. Additionally, there aren’t a ton of spaces to meet and gather.“ There’s like one gay bar; it’s run down, and mostly gay men and older gay men, so that hasn’t been popping off in a really long time,” says Andree. Spaces that are catered towards lesbians, queer women and nonbinary individuals are usually fostered by club organizers that don’t have a specific location and only put on events a few times a year.
Flatmates, the lovechild of Malin and Jules, is a welcoming organization that hosts lesbian bar nights in Stockholm and aims to fill the void so many queers in the area are feeling.“ We realized there wasn’t a space, a non-club vibe, where you could [casually] meet other queer women and nonbinary people. We wanted to create a space where you can come alone and not be intimidated, because the whole point is you’re coming there and you can meet friends,” says Kershaw.
So how did Malin and Jules get the inspiration for such an incredible organization? The seeds of Flatmates can be traced back to none other than Out & Abt, an inclusive space and event for the queer community based in the U.S. Earlier this year, in February, the couple attended an Out & Abt event in Jules’ hometown of San Diego, and had an absolute blast.“ We just had such a fun time and we met so many good queer people that we’re now friends with. Almost all of our queer friends that we have here at San Diego, we met through Out & Abt,” says Kershaw. Since then Out & Abt has grown exponentially and evolved into more of a club, party atmosphere (which was absolutely needed). However, it was their beginnings, that laid back, grab a beer and chill energy, that resonated the most with Malin and Jules.
In September the duo started reaching out to different places in Stockholm in search of a place to host.“ We struggled trying to find a place. Everybody ghosted us!” says Kershaw. It wasn’t until Malin and Jules met up with a friend of theirs that things started to turn around. Said friend worked at Alba Vinbar, and mentioned that the owners wanted to put on a weekly or bimonthly event. As you can probably imagine, this was a match made in heaven! Malin and Jules pitched their concept, and the owners were sold.“ What’s really missing in Stockholm is the consistency of: maybe every week, or every other week, you know that you can go to this bar at this time and there will be a bunch of queers, and I can meet people and find a best friend or partner,” Andree says. Once Malin and Jules got the OK from Alba Vinbar, they started marketing online, posting a few TikToks and Instagram updates in the weeks leading up to the December 4th premiere. If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend, you’ll be pleased to know that the first ever Flatmates event was an absolute success.“ It went surprisingly well. Even the owners of the bar weren't expecting it to be so big. They [ended up] making the most money they’ve ever made on a Wednesday, so they were super stoked,” says Kershaw.
Alba Vinbar had intricate interior design and a cozy atmosphere. All the drinks were manned by bar staff and from 7 o’clock to 1 AM, the bar was completely packed.“ It was the talk of the town in that part of Stockholm. Everybody was like‘ what’s going on at Alba, it’s fucking crazy’, and we were like the gays are taking over!” Kershaw laughs. People who came alone left with a bunch of Instagrams and phone numbers. For some people it was their first queer event ever.“ We were legit crying. We were just standing behind the bar saying:‘ This is so beautiful.’” It really is so heartwarming whenever one finds themselves in a WLW space, surrounded by people that you feel comfortable around. It’s a different energy that deserves to be nurtured and celebrated, and that’s exactly what Malin and Jules are doing.
Early on in the new year, Flatmates will be moving to a bigger location double the size of Alba Vinbar.“ Eventually we [also] want to get going with events every other Wednesday to really get the consistency, as well as have bigger events, but still different from what exists,” says Andree. The two have tossed around the idea of doing live music, open mic nights, karaoke, and so much more.“ We’ve [always] wanted Flatmates to be a recurring event, and we want to focus on Wednesdays,” Kershaw says. They explain that Wednesdays in Sweden are called“ Little Saturdays”: essentially, if you’re going to go out during the week, Wednesday nights are the night of choice.“ Break up your work week, come and hang out, just chill and have fun with other queer people.”
