This month, we’re spotlighting designer Mahshid Tabatabaei, founder of Laminar, a jewelry brand where architecture meets movement. Launched in San Francisco in Fall 2024, Laminar was born from Mahshid’s transition from architect to designer, driven by a desire for a more intimate form of creative expression. Influenced by the sculptural futurism of Iris van Herpen, each piece balances structural precision with fluidity, resulting in jewelry that feels both artful and effortlessly wearable.
Read on to discover more about our Spring/Summer ’26 Styling Marketplace brand partner!
Where and when was the brand founded?
Laminar was founded in San Francisco in Fall 2024.
What was the catalyst in starting the brand?
I chose to become an architect because of my love for design and creativity. However, after years of practicing architecture, I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. Even though there is usually an overarching concept behind each building, buildings are not personal in the same way jewelry can be. And to be honest, the creative process in architecture is often filtered through many constraints, including building codes, project requirements, and budgets.
Through jewelry, I can translate personal stories and emotions into forms and patterns. There is also an invisible connection between the designer and the wearer, a shared experience of creating, wearing, and owning that story.
Was there a design/fashion muse you can tell us about?
Iris van Herpen has been a major source of inspiration for me. Her work opened my eyes to the possibilities of computational and parametric design in wearable art, and inspired me to explore how technology, form, and movement can come together in jewelry.
What is the dream for the brand in the next 5 years?
My dream is for Laminar to go beyond being a brand and become a tribe or community centered around empowerment, individuality, and self-expression. And of course, to always remain unique and one of a kind, creating pieces that feel new, bold, and unlike anything that has been made before.
Do you have a favorite collection or piece to date?
I think the Flow Necklace is my favorite piece so far.
QUICK FIRE
Sign: Fire
Sweet or salty: Sweet
Coffee or Tea: Coffee
Favorite Classic Movie: Funeral Parade of Roses
Never without: Earrings!
BLANK is the new BLANK: Smart is the new sexy.
Color you couldn’t live without: Red
Your favorite accessory: Jewelry!
Your favorite wardrobe piece: Boots
Favorite city: Tehran
Last trip you were on: Yosemite National Park
Last book you read: Brave New World
Favorite Restaurant: That’s a tough one, but I guess Picaro!
Hotel you’re dreaming of: I’m not really a hotel person, sign me up for a beautiful cabin.
Design is: Daydreaming about an object.
Fashion will always: Be a form of self-expression.
I’m a firm believer in: Authenticity
I’m deeply grateful for: My creativity
The world needs more: Poets
If you had to pick one Classic Six piece, what would it be?
The Marilyn Accordion-Pleated Maxi Skirt in Dusty Rose.
QUESTIONS ABOUT YOU
What’s your favorite thing in your closet right now?
My Red Leather Dress by Vinve
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Done is better than perfect.
Is there one unforgettable defining time in your career that changed you?
Working for a boutique architecture firm in Tehran, where I learned about elegance in design and attention to detail.
Who is your style icon?
Dua Lipa.
If you could be from any other decade or era, which would it be?
The ’80s.
If you could have any three classic icons over for dinner, who would they be?
Alexander McQueen, Zaha Hadid, and David Lynch.
Who would play you in the movie of your life?
What an interesting question! Maybe Golshifteh Farahani.
Best gift you’ve ever received?
Not gonna lie, a Cartier bracelet.
What does the word “Classic” mean to you?
Nostalgic.
