Runway

Bibencia’s Juliet: Roberto Montes Rewrites Shakespeare’s Heroine as a Rebel

Self taught designer Roberto Montes turns Shakespeare’s Juliet into a symbol of freedom and identity. Bibencia’s new collection pairs Renaissance romance with deconstructed, gender fluid streetwear, moving from soft whites and pinks to deep crimsons and blacks.

By Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta

Updated 05:09 pm EST, Nov 12, 2026

Published 05:04 pm EST, Nov 12, 2026

Photo Credits: 080 Barcelona Fashion

Bibencia’s Juliet: Roberto Montes Rewrites Shakespeare’s Heroine as a Rebel

By Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta

Runway

Updated 05:09 pm EST, November 12, 2026

Published 05:04 pm EST, November 12, 2026

Photo Credits: 080 Barcelona Fashion

Bibencia is a Spanish fashion house founded in 2023 by Roberto Montes. It is a fascinating brand that is focused on intense emotional storytelling, gender-fluid silhouettes, and the art of deconstruction. He established the brand alongside his partner, Néstor Redó.

Born in Madrid and currently based in Valencia, Roberto was a self-taught designer who originally studied social work. One might think that fashion was a severe career swerve from his work in social services. But I have always thought that fashion is directly linked to a person’s emotional state, and Roberto decided that, after a period of personal struggle, he would find a therapeutic outlet for his depression. It is understood that he bought a basic sewing machine from IKEA and began teaching himself to sew by intuition. That is a fabulous story.

He lacked formal academic training in design, but he developed his style through experimentation and continuous learning. Consequently, Bibencia emerged as an extension of his own emotional journey and a medium for personal expression. With each collection, Roberto uses fashion to communicate what is sometimes difficult to put into words. He tells stories about his transforming emotions, experiences, and social concerns.

Juliet Takes the Lead

Bibencia’s SS27 is called “Juliet,” which directly references Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”She is written as a young girl who evolves through strife and emotional struggles into a determined, courageous woman who defies the norms of society. Juliet follows her own convictions, which is inspiring, albeit in the end deadly. Juliet, the character, is primarily known as a romantic figure, but she can also be interpreted as a symbol of determination, freedom, and the quest for identity.

In this collection, Juliet is portrayed at the center of the story, not just a partner in an impossible love. Bibencia’s SS27 blends the romanticism and delicacy of the Renaissance with a modern, rebellious aesthetic, incorporating elements of streetwear, deconstructed garments, and fluid silhouettes.

A Palette That Tracks Transformation

The color palette of “Juliet” serves as a visual roadmap of the character’s internal evolution, moving away from standard bridal tones into a vibrant, highly assertive color scheme. The collection opens with soft, traditional whites, delicate creams, and pastel pinks that mimic feminine innocence. The palette then shifts into saturated greens, deep clays, and mineral shades in the increasingly deconstructed garments. The palette culminates in deep crimson reds, rich burgundies, and blacks that align with the gender fluid, streetwear.

One of the first outfits on the runway perfectly blends Renaissance-inspired romance with subversive, modern textures. It featured a layered floral brocade mini-dress over an exaggerated button-down shirt, paired with high-shine latex leggings. The mini-dress is constructed from a luscious, jacquard brocade fabric. It features an intense, repeating floral-and-vine botanical pattern in delicate pastel blush-pink and shimmering silver-white. What is especially delectable is that the model juxtaposes the dress with skin-tight, high-shine latex leggings in a matching pastel bubblegum pink. The outfit has a fetishistic air of sleekness and modernity.

Another design that reflects a growing confidence is a raw-edged cropped unisex jacket and tailored booty shorts. The two-piece set was made from matching tapestry fabric and paired with a graphic T-shirt in white and utilitarian black boots. The cropped casual jacket was relaxed and designed to sit at the natural waist. The shoulder seams, collar lines, and pocket edges feature distressed, raw-edged fraying. The shorts were cut straight and hit at the sensuous upper thigh. The outfit had a muted palette dominated by ochre-gold, sage-green, terracotta-rose, and dusty ivory, mimicking gorgeous upholstery. It was a bold look that still referenced the romanticism of Juliet’s inner emotions.

Slow Fashion and a Studio by Appointment Only

One could argue that Juliet’s story is relatively simple, although still inspiring. But Bibencia’s Ss27 has a subversive vibe that is refreshing. I love how the new collection uses traditional, potentially old-fashioned fabric, cut into modern, sexy clothes that refuse to be consigned to male or female. The brand also utilized vividly colored statement hats to deliberately counter the more romantic fabrics. The sharp pop of colors directly aligns with Juliet’s internal rebellion.

So what’s next for Roberto Montes? The brand is avoiding mass production and instead is focusing on couture slow fashion. Bibencia retains its private, appointment-only studio in Valencia, Spain, which permits customers to purchase garments online on a pre-order basis. Roberto lives in a poetic universe, and we at Avessa demand entry.

The Collection

Alfonso de Hoyos-Acosta

Senior Fashion & Culture Editor

Recovering from an obsession with Italian-designed menswear, Alfonso decided to take a deeper look into women’s fashion to see how our relationship among clothing, society, and business has changed. Educated as an economist with an MBA, he travels between Chicago, Miami, and Mexico on a search to see what happens next to fashion.