designer | United Arab Emirates
zeinab zarei
About the creator
zeinab zarei
- (b. 1998, Isfahan, Iran) is a Dubai-based designer and material researcher with a background in Industrial Design. Her practice explores how geometry, folding, and material behavior can transform inherited visual languages into contemporary spatial and wearable forms. Working across paper, textiles, leather, and other flexible materials, she develops wearable sculptures, spatial structures, and experimental material systems through a process of bottom-up morphological research. Rather than imposing predetermined forms, she allows structure to emerge through the interaction between geometry, material, and making. Drawing from the geometric heritage of Iran and the folding traditions of Japan, her work investigates how cultural memory can be embodied through material transformation. By translating historical visual systems into contemporary experiences, she examines the relationship between heritage, perception, the body, and space. Her work has been presented through exhibitions, research projects, and collaborative initiatives. She has received international recognition, including the International Design Awards (IDA), and is a recipient of the UAE Golden Visa for Creatives.
EDUCATION
B.A. in Industrial Design Alzahra University Tehran, Iran 2017–2022
RESEARCH
Creative Researcher Counter Mapping Project Noland School × The Hague University of Applied Sciences 2025
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
Tokyo Taak Group Exhibition The Taak Tehran, Iran 2025
PUBLICATIONS
Fashion Designers’ Chain Volume 1 SAFPEM × STORIA Editions France – United Kingdom Link https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB8LWe0tymb/igsh=MTQ2YnpoaXJiOGxmbQ==
LECTURES & TALKS
Guest Speaker & Panel Contributor Tehran Design Week|Cubic Podcast Tehran, Iran 2025
WORKSHOPS (Designed & Facilitated)
Kusudama Origami Workshop Studio13 Alserkal Avenue, Dubai 2026 Kusudama Origami & Kodo Experience Workshop Helio Advertising Agency Dubai 2026 Architectural Origami Workshop Zero2Cento Interior Design Studio Dubai 2026 Design Thinking & Origami Workshop Lecturer Tehran, Iran 2024
SELECTED CLIENTS & CREATIVE PROJECTS
Origami Concept Artist Dior (Concept Collaboration) | Dubai, UAE | 2025 Developed origami-based creative concepts for an early-stage collaboration under NDA. Fashion Concept Designer Arian Hakimi Design (AHD) × Nersi (Founded by Arian Hakimi, Former Lead Architect at Zaha Hadid Architects) Tehran, Iran / Istanbul, Türkiye | 2023–2024 Collaborated on fashion research exploring architecture, geometry, and wearable design. Jewelry Designer Dez Jewels | Tehran, Iran | 2024 Designed a 27-piece jewelry collection, including packaging and visual identity inspired by Sassanian heritage.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
International Design Awards (IDA) Gold Winner Origami Glasses Case 2020 Website link https://www.idesignawards.com/winners/zoom.php?eid=9-32173-20 International Design Awards (IDA) Honorable Mention Origami Shoulder Bag 2021 Website link https://www.idesignawards.com/winners/zoom.php?eid=9-40951-21 UAE Golden Visa for Creatives & Artists United Arab Emirates 2024
INDEPENDENT INITIATIVES
@cubicpodcast Cubic Podcast Co-Founder & Host Iran’s first independent industrial design podcast exploring design culture, interdisciplinary dialogue, material research, and creative practice
Masterpieces by zeinab zarei
