Research internship

Hi, I, Srikanth Damarla am a textile researcher and did my bachelor’s in textile technology. Currently I am pursuing my masters in innovative textile development at Saxion University of Applied Science.

Weavers family

I was born in a small village in South India where majority of the people are handloom weavers. My family has been into weaving since 1960. We produce 100% cotton fabrics. Currently, my  father runs a handloom company and he produces hand-woven materials, sari’s and dupatta’s.

I started learning and experiencing about my family’s textile business at an early age; the different processes involved are yarn dyeing, manufacturing the fabric and printing with the support of my family and neighborhood. Due to this, I have gained a lot of knowledge on fabric pre-treatment, production, dyeing, printing, fabric inspection and testing.

Textile studies

My interest in textiles and the focus to have a career in this field made me decide to study textile technology in India. After my studies, I worked for NABARD, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, as an assistant project consultant.

In 2018 I  joined the master’s program at Saxion. I have completed my first year, in which I worked on various (research) projects related to Business and Innovation and International Management. I am trained in business and organizational skills and have technical competences in prototyping and testing.

Currently, I am working on my master thesis as an intern at Textiel Factorij. I will be conducting a sustainability analysis, also called a Life Cycle Assesment, in which I compare naturally dyed, hand-printed fabrics with industrial printed fabrics.