House of Cheri becomes a national icon for outback Queensland

Located 220 kilometres north of Cloncurry on a station called ‘Cowan Downs’, Cheri Stanger is busy designing, packaging and posting parcels for her remote business.

Ms Stanger started House of Cheri two years ago, after tinkering with the thought of making her own clothing.

“I could never find the qualities I wanted in an Australian made shirt. In 2014 I went to find a person who would make me a line of shirts of my particular taste and request,” she said.

“My husband Ben said to me; ‘why don’t you just make a few extra and see if anyone else shares your taste?’ And that was how it all started. I had over 100 shirts made up and most of them sold out in the first three weekends! That gave me the confidence to keep going.”

Since starting her business, Ms Stanger had to find time around her everyday station work to create, design and order her dress shirts.

“I am the cook, gardener, weaner breaker, cleaner, occasional musterer, painter, loader and grader driver and throughout the year we travel to campdrafts,” she said.

“This was where I first had the need for a different shirt and this is the market of people I sell to. The shirts are made for riding horses; longer in the arms, cuffs and torso so they don’t come untucked while riding, bigger collars and concealed buttons so to de-clutter the front. 

“Having said that I have sold shirts to business people who wear them with skirts, pants and high heels and they look very smart in that environment also.”

Ms Stanger created two fits; the semi-fitted lady’s shirt and a classic fitted lady’s shirts in many designs and colours. 

“I design all of my clothing,I have an Australian professional pattern maker to custom make the patterns and an Australian manufacturer to make up the clothing. I buy all the fabric, buttons, fusing, labels, tags and anything else I need within Australia and co-ordinate the whole process,” she said.

“The clothing then gets transported up here to ‘Cowan Downs’ where I sell it through my website and I package up and post out.”

The demand has reached a high with a following of rural women wanting House of Cheri shirts from all over Australia and overseas.

“I have posted shirts to Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and Northern Territory. My shirts are being worn by a lady in England and a well-known reporter in Bali; so I’d like to say there is a healthy following,” Ms Stanger said.

“I have sweet girls as young as nine wearing my shirts and they look great on every age and every size. Everyone is beautiful and it has always been very important for me to make a classy shirt that emphasises the wearer’s beauty. 

“It is so important also that the shirts last many years and because of how well made they are and the quality of the fabric I’d like to believe I’m achieving this.”

Ms Stanger has enjoyed her creative journey so much she has introduced a men’s and children's shirts which should be on sale racks at the end of this year.

“My husband Ben and two sons Hudson and Fred love seeing people in the shirts and the boys will point out whenever they see someone wearing one. They all help me select fabrics and the boys are eagerly awaiting the release of the youth shirts,” she said.

“Our employer’s The Nelson’s have been wonderful supporters throughout this process and I couldn’t have pursued this dream without their encouragement and agreement.

“House of Cheri has already brought myself and my family a great amount of joy, it is so important as a woman of the land to have something of my own in what is still a very male-orientated industry. It is getting better with every day and every milestone us ladies achieve in the industry!”