This is Tony Bonet: the Ibizan master who's winning over Letizia Ortiz with his Adlib fashion

The reception for the Balearic Society at Marivent Palace left a memorable image. Queen Letizia dazzled in a white dress with a classic, handcrafted feel designed by Tony Bonet, one of the most renowned designers of Ibizan adlib fashion.

The designer himself was surprised to discover live that Her Majesty was wearing one of his creations, emotionally confessing: "I thought I was going to die".

Who is Tony Bonet?

Tony Bonet Quesada is originally from Sant Jordi, Ibiza, where he was born into a working-class family. His father was a pastry chef and his mother, a homemaker. The world of fashion entered his life through his sister, who worked as a sales assistant at one of the most well-known haberdasheries in Ibiza, according to Tony.

His connection to traditional Ibizan sewing goes way back: his grandmother's sister sewed on commission for Dora Herbst, one of the legendary figures of Ibizan fashion. This gave him direct contact with craft-made techniques from a young age, which he would later apply to his own designs.

Bonet began his career as a designer for the Bianca brand, one of the pioneers of adlib fashion. He worked there for 12 years until, in 2011, he decided to create his own brand. His training was completed both with practical experience in pattern-making workshops and with knowledge inherited from his family's sewing traditions.

Currently, at 45 years old, he is one of the most established designers in the adlib scene. He has received recognitions such as the 2021 Gold Medal, the Ramón Llull Award, the Balearic Young Art Award, and the European Medal of Merit for Work granted by the European Association for Economy and Competitiveness.

The reference in adlib fashion

Adlib fashion is the traditional reference fashion of the Balearic Islands, although its epicenter is in Ibiza. It was born in 1971, coinciding with the first Ibiza Fashion Week. At that event, garments from the traditional payés costume were fused with the hippie aesthetic that had taken over the island.

Adlib means "ad libitum" (toward freedom) and its philosophy, created by Yugoslavian princess Smilja Mihailovitch, is summed up in the motto: "Dress as you want, but with style". This movement advocates the use of natural fabrics such as cotton and linen, traditional craftsmanship with bobbin lace, trims, and embroidery, and white as the predominant color.

Tony Bonet represents craftsmanship turned into fashion, combining the adlib philosophy with new trends. His designs respect the purest roots but don't give up freedom, achieving "a groundbreaking mix", as defined on his own website. He uses techniques such as cotonet (top-quality cotton), combining it with trims, bobbin lace, and crochet.

Among the leading designers of this fashion, Charo Ruiz Ibiza also stands out, whose designs the Queen has worn on multiple occasions. In 2020, she wore one of her dresses, priced at 549 euros, with guipure ruffles during an official visit to Ibiza. Two years later, she once again chose the same brand for the reception at Marivent, establishing her as one of her go-to designers.

The celebrities dressed by Tony Bonet

Although Tony Bonet is especially known for dressing brides, his clientele includes women seeking a "transgressive" style far from traditional standards. "I've dressed countless brides with a very transgressive style, adapting the models to rockers, goths, bikers," according to the Repsol Guide.

His specialty is brides who don't want to dress like princesses because they're not, and who ask him for "a style closer to their urban tribe". For these clients, Bonet has even introduced color into his bridal creations, using blacks and blues through linings that highlight the meticulous details of the pattern-making.

The designer is very discreet with his clients, always keeping confidentiality, "especially when they're brides and haven't yet walked down the aisle". It is known that his work has reached personalities from the world of entertainment and high society, although he prefers not to give specific names.

In addition to brides, Tony Bonet has expanded his creativity to men's clothing. He creates sweatjerseys and jerseys for men that break with the more classic lines, always keeping the adlib essence but with more rock and contemporary touches.

His work philosophy is summed up in one phrase: "For me, all women are queens". That is precisely the attitude he showed when he discovered that Queen Letizia herself had chosen one of his dresses for such a special occasion as the reception at Marivent. This fact consolidates his position as one of the great names in Ibizan adlib fashion.