Daniela Rondinone graduated from her Bachelor’s in Textile and Apparel Design from Palermo University in 2014 in Argentina, where she specialized in womenswear, tailoring techniques, and textile experimentation using shibori pleating techniques and foil prints. Upon graduation, she started working as a Professor of Pattern Making, Fashion Design, Fashion Communication, and Computer Aided Design at several argentinian universities and institutes. In parallel with her academic work, Daniela founded her own Image Consulting Business specialized in supporting bariatric surgery patients.
In 2017, Daniela became the first ever Argentinian Apparel Designer to be the recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship in Science and Technology. This allowed her to pursue her Master’s of Science in Textile with a minor in Textile Engineering at North Carolina State University. During her graduate studies, she focused on different areas of technical textiles, such as biomaterials, smart textiles and textile comfort. She also got a Lean Six Sigma certification and led a multidisciplinary study to analyze the supply chain of PPE in the US during covid-19. For her master’s thesis she studied the efficacy and durability of antimicrobial textiles for preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections, which concluded in both a laboratory study and a dedicated website to support future textile studies conducting antimicrobial testing studies. Her Master’s studies culminated with Daniela delivering the commencement speech for the graduate students at the Wilson College of Textiles.
Upon graduation, Daniela started working as a Research Manager at a UKAS accredited Laboratory dedicated to the testing of materials for healthcare applications. During this time, she created and implemented the material science capabilities, and conducted a study to evaluate the compatibility and efficacy of vaporized hydrogen peroxide for decontaminating reusable respiratory equipment. She also managed the relationships with external customers and created dedicated test plans for new lines of research within the areas of environmental infection control, microbiology, and material science.
Currently, Daniela is the Business and Operations Manager at Biophilica, a London based startup dedicated to the manufacture of leather based alternative material. As part of this role, Daniela brings her expertise in technical textiles, as well as manages the relationships with external luxury and mainstream brands that are interested in the company’s core material – Treekind – in commercial products. Daniela also manages the R&D projects with external stakeholders, oversees the communication activities, and manages the Health and Safety and external audits within the company’s operations.
Throughout her career, Daniela wrote over 15 academic publications, and participated as speaker and exhibitor in more than 14 international conferences.