Find out what it takes to dress rock stars such as Lady Gaga and design clothes for leading fashion houses at a free USC lounge bar lecture in Gympie.

USC Design Lecturer Deborah Fisher and music industry costumier Cindy Vogels will discuss their experiences in the international fashion industry at the informal public event themed, ‘A Fashionable Conversation’.

The free lecture, on July 22 from 6pm at SoMa SoMa Café in Mellor Street, Gympie, is part of a series hosted by USC to allow people to raise their glass to local research while hearing from USC researchers and teaching academics who are experts in their field.

Ms Fisher’s international fashion career has included designing seasonal collections for major American retailers, such as Bloomingdales and Macy’s.

The innovative fashion educator and researcher is a Lecturer in Fashion Studies at USC. In 2020 she received the Women in Fashion award for Outstanding Educator/Mentor in the industry.

Cindy Vogels is the founder of fashion label Racy & Lucky and prides herself on creating “one-off, obscure and beautiful garments” for music artists.

Her costumery has been worn by Lady Gaga and other stars and has been featured on screens, stages and red carpets across the world, including during London Fashion Week and the ARIAs.

Ms Fisher said the two women shared similar backgrounds. “Cindy grew up in Nambour while I grew up in Caboolture and we both left Australia to pursue our design aspirations before returning to continue working here,” she said.

“When I first wanted to take my fashion career to a new level, there was no Australian university offering a degree in fashion, so I applied to the Pratt Institute in New York and the world opened up to me.

“I remember the day First Lady Nancy Reagan walked into the studio at Liz Claiborne for her fittings and I thought to myself, you are not in Caboolture anymore, you are on Seventh Avenue in the heart of the garment centre.

“One of the themes we will discuss at the lounge bar lecture will be how Cindy and I continue to work and collaborate with our international colleagues, but from regional areas of Queensland.”

To attend, register for the Gympie Lounge Bar Series online at eventbrite.