Born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1984, Matteo Fogale moved to Italy in 2001. He studied industrial design at Università IUAV di Venezia in Italy. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 2007. Since then, Fogale has worked on a variety of projects, ranging from high-end furniture and industrial product design to bespoke commissions with studios such as Patricia Urquiola (design intern, 2006); LKM Studio (graphic designer, 2007); Nichetto and Partners (senior designer, 2007–2010); Barber & Osgerby (designer, 2010–2013; freelance designer, 2013 to date); and MAP Project Office (freelance designer, 2013 to date).
In 2013, he established his own eponymous London practice. That same year, he and Joscha Brose established brose~fogale, a London-based design studio focused on interior and product design, bespoke furniture, and installations. In addition to his design work, Fogale also works as a lecturer and model-making tutor in a variety of industrial design programs across the UK.
Fogale’s work merges craft and industrial processes, with a focus on functionality and longevity. Notable projects to date include –ISH (2014), a collection of furniture and home accessories composed of recycled denim and postindustrial cotton and polyester remnants, on which Fogale collaborated with Swiss designer Laetitia de Allegri; as well as brose~fogale’s Camerino Collection (2013) of furniture and accessories to help organize everyday life. His work has been exhibited at designjunction at Milan Design Week (2013); at the clothing boutique Start London (2013) and Herrick Gallery (2014), both during the London Design Festival; and IMM Cologne (2014).