Jef Montes

Marinero 

In 2012 Jef Montes graduated with honors degree at fashion design ArtEZ institute of the arts Arnhem. Reinforcing discarded wool with fiberglass materials were developed at his studio in Arnhem. The upcycled textiles resulted into experimental high fashion. Collection Illuminosa debuted at Amsterdam Fashion Week 2014. Research and development projects were initiated via Creative Industries Fund NL. The goal was to learn more about industrial textile producing machines. Projects Velero and Tormenta were developed in collaboration with TextielLab Tilburg. Creating woven fabrics that have a luxurious appeal, mainly by using ocean clean up materials. In 2018 Montes was selected for category fashion at the 33rd Villa Noailles Hyères festival international. The collection was based on the fish line of his Andalucian fisherman grandfather. The idea of creating filaments became evident and motivated Montes to found Adaptive Skins, a textile architecture studio. This direction led towards international partnerships via EU Horizon and COSME tech hubs. Interdisciplinary teams produced adaptive filaments that sculpt around the body. The result of project Adaptive Archi-Filament was presented at the Fashion Scout Ones2Watch showcase in London. In 2022 Montes won the BIAAF award, category A – fashion, at the 8th edition of Bilbao international art and fashion. The following year Montes moved his studio to the Basque Country. His grand prize winning collection was developed at BIAAF Lab. The result of project Marinero was presented at the Vanderbilt during New York Fashion Week. In 2025 Montes launched his eponymous fashion brand. 

 
Collection “Marinero” was created in collaboration with Textiel Lab Tilburg. The woven filaments are produced via the Aitex textile technological institute in Alcoy. The Marinero shoes were developed in collaboration with Shapeways, Chris van den Elzen and K3D print. Jef Montes created the fashion designs via BIAAF-Lab in Bilbao. The designs were inspired by mermaid bubble burst transformation, breaking through isolation and becoming truly free. Erasing old patterns. Daring to be bold. Flying solo. Emancipate.  Believe in yourself. Speak out your voice. Creating bridges. Togetherness. In 2025 Montes started collaborating with drag artist Hadi Moussally. Salma Zahore, his alter ego, a queerture that destabilises gender, identity, and belief. Salma Sahore becomes the muse of Montes, and Abjad Hawaz is the result of their initial collaboration. The video, directed by h7o7, was shot in Tres Xemeneies in Barcelona, a place people call Chernobyl, where ruins meet the near future. Salma Zahore breaks free from the bubble burst transformation and creates body movements that reflect an abstract Arabic alphabet. Each gesture embodies the form of a letter. What was once feared becomes alive. The body itself becomes language. What was once marked by stigma becomes a symphony of pride and remembrance. 

Townhouse Hotel
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