Award-winning fashion designer, Razak Mohammed, has helped shape South Australia’s sartorial psyche since the mid-80s, when, alongside his late partner, Joff Chappel, he opened a fashion boutique in a now iconic bright red shopfront on Rundle Street. This year, he celebrates the centenary of Miss Glady’s Sym Choon.

Photography: Gretl Watson-Blazewicz

For a century, Miss Gladys Sym Choon, the China shop and then fashion emporium, has defined South Australia’s style. The Rundle Street store has always served products with a point of difference, from fine ceramics to international fashion brands. But, since the 80s, the shop has been the place where Adelaide’s fashion cognoscenti flock to find distinctive, one-of-a-kind designs and a place that celebrates the East End’s style through its vibrant collection of clothes.

The Rundle Street strip, now known for its high-end boutiques, mainly comprised of fishing tackle shops back then. But Adelaide’s fashion scene was starting to evolve, and designer Razak Mohammed and his late, lifelong partner, Joff Chappel, saw something in the East End. According to Razak, Adelaide’s style was ‘stupendous’. “No one took heed to cookie-cutter fashion. There were no rules. You’d never be seen [in] RundleStreet wearing a garment twice,” he says.

Under Razak’s self-titled label, the Malaysian-born designer created a distinctive brand that broke free from the trend cycle. It was a success and he’s since dressed thousands of people, sharing his innate sense of style with the curious and creative individuals drawn to the shop’s bold fashion. “Fashion is as watery as utopia,” Razak says. “I love that our true-blue clientele trusts in us. We are what we are – love it or leave it.”

The designer made his start in the industry by chance, after discovering an abandoned sewing machine in hisSydney apartment complex. At the time, he was a student studying building at University of New South Wales. “I was cursed for choosing the wrong course, but blessed to discover I had some other talent,” Razak recalls. He taught himself how to pattern-make and dropped out of university to pursue his newfound passion.

Crafting flamboyant clothing from old tea towels, scraps of fabric and curtains, Razak cut his teeth by selling handmade designs at Sydney’sPaddington Markets before being consigned to a Double Bay boutique. The designer established himself in an era where he describes the fashion scene as ‘eclectic’ and ‘incredibly playful’. It was the 80s, and to Razak, clothing was a form of expression.

In 1983 the designer moved to RundleStreet with Joff, where they opened the street’s first-ever fashion store, Apparallel, across from a shop called Miss Gladys Sym Choon’s China Gift Store in 1985. Even then, the unique store stood out along Rundle Street. When the china shop announced it was closing a year later, Razak and Joff moved their fashion business into the bright red multi-level building.

“Miss Gladys herself chuckled when we asked to purchase the name,” Razak recalls, mentioning how she’d meant to take down the original signage after she married 37 years earlier.

Her father, John, and the Sym Choon family, were prolific for their string of businesses in the East End. But, Miss Gladys herself was a trailblazer. She was the first South Australian woman to incorporate a business in 1928 after opening her Rundle Street emporium in 1923, importing the finest silk hosiery, ceramics and jade from China to stock in her vibrant store. “She was a class of her own. A true inspiration,” Razak says.

It didn’t take long for the second iteration of Miss Gladys Sym Choon – the clothing emporium – to become Adelaide’s new home of fashion. Building their business on an ethos of ‘empathy, leadership and style’, Razak and Joff attracted global creative talents while nurturing local emerging designers. They were well ahead of their time, and together they were instrumental in making the Eas tEnd what it is today.

“We decided to give Adelaide fashionistas a more international approach,” he says. “We saw the obvious – young mega trendoids who’d frequent Melbourne and Sydney to be decked out.” The boutique gave South Australia’s fashion scene a reason to shop locally. “We wanted to be an emporium for all sorts and ages.”

Amongst Razak’s designs, patterned pants, mini skirts and dresses from otherwise unavailable international labels would hang from the Miss Gladys Sym Choon racks. The store was the first place in Australia where people could buy brands like Boy London.

With its vibrant store floor and peppy, in-the-know staff, the emporium attracted more than just the Adelaide fashion scene. Famous visitors include Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, Dame Roma Mitchell and US R&B artist Usher, who reportedly enjoyed a private shopping spree. But Razak and Joff never had stars in their eyes. What remained important to them was serving South Australians quirky clothing and “doing it with love”.

Razak continued to make his distinctive label from the Rundle Street apartment that he shared with Joff, above the MissGladys Sym Choon store. At one point, he was running four clothing companies con-currently, his namesake brand,Milk, Milk Man, and Mitzi, while also curating the store floor. He showcased collections at fashion weeks in KualaLumpur and New Zealand (where he was the first Australian designer to debut), and has styled icons like Kylie Minogue and Kate Ceberano. Today, the designer still sells his exclusive Razak line in-store.

Over the years, the business grew and expanded to include three new stores, Mr Choon, Miss Gladys on Sea and the now-closed shoe shop, Glady’s Corner. “Joff and I were unhurried people,” Razak says. “Joff’s father once said to us, ‘nobody loses money underestimatingAustralian taste’. We laughed and tried to prove him wrong.”

As Razak ruminates on the future, he says he’s looking forward to dressing second and third-generation Miss Gladys Sym Choon shoppers. The boutique is still a go-to destination for unique fashion, emerging labels and contemporary designers, but the legacy and continued success of the store is underpinned by Razak’s love for cool clothing and his desire to do things differently. “Don’t look at what others do, stay true to your core values,” he says. “Fashion changes, but [who you are] doesn’t.”

Miss Gladys Sym Choon
235A Rundle St, Adelaide
missgladyssymchoon.com.au