Erol Büyükburç: I started a costume revolution in pop music

Some of those unusual costumes had long collars, some sported huge flower designs and others had pictures of bugs. Büyükburç is also famous for the unusual stage designs he used in his concerts. Once he had a sultan’s throne on the stage and another time he decorated it with a replica of a space station.

The veteran artist, who has kept his costumes since the day he set foot on the stage, rented a two-bedroom house in İstanbul’s Kartal district two years ago where he now stores part of his wardrobe. Büyükburç pays regular visits to this “personal museum” and takes care of his stage costumes on a regular basis. He even talks to them.

Claiming that his name will not be forgotten because he has brought down numerous taboos in Turkish music, Büyükburç explains how he made his first stage costume:

“I used to make unusual designs that defined me. Then I decided to order fabrics from abroad and looked for an exclusive tailor who would sew my designs for me. Back then, there was a famous tailor whose shop was located in Galatasaray. I took a look at his craft: one-button or two-button suit jackets; that was it. When I went to him and put my drawings on the table, he was shocked: ‘You’re crazy, are you going to wear these?’ he told me. I said, yes, I am crazy. I opened up my bag and took out the colorful fabrics; yellows, reds… His amazement grew further. But then he conceded and agreed to make the suits according to my instructions. I drew the sewing patterns for him. The audience went wild when it saw the costumes. When I went there again for a second time, he shouted at me: ‘Now everybody wants what you are wearing on stage!’ Well, I then became sure I was doing the right thing.”

Büyükburç, who still wears similar costumes in his concerts, reserved one room of his apartment for his tailors. He made a deal with three female tailors and asked them to sew an exclusive costume for each concert. Let’s say he was to appear in a concert in Ankara; he would have at least 15 costumes ready for the event. “I started a costume revolution in the Turkish music scene,” Büyükburç now recalls.

And his favorite among his collection of dozens of extraordinary stage costumes? His famous pearled caftan, embellished with pearls that weigh roughly a kilogram, which he wore during a concert in London in 1972.

Fans tearing costumes

The 75-year-old star complains that most of his costumes are no longer with him. “About 60 percent of my costumes disappeared one way or another,” he says. Most of them were torn because he used to take them off at the end of concerts and fans would tear the costumes while trying to grab them. Yet, he still has around 500 stage costumes, about 3,000 pairs of shoes and a huge collection of hats as well as puppets -- and he designed them all.

Not all of these items are in the Kartal apartment, though. Büyükburç keeps part of his collection in a storehouse in İstanbul’s Etiler neighborhood, where he preserves them all in plastic bags. Büyükburç’s daughter, Evren, lends her father a hand by helping him take care of each of his costumes.

Büyükburç is currently busy with a new project -- a museum. Sculptor Çelik is making a life-sized sculpture of the veteran singer. Once the sculpture is complete, Büyükburç plans to launch a public Erol Büyükburç Museum complete with all his costumes, jewelry, hats, shoes and, of course, the sculpture. The pearl-embroidered caftan will be kept in a special glass showcase. The blueprint for the museum is ready and Büyükburç is now looking for a suitable location.

Tarkan’s stage costumes are rubbish

Büyükburç believes that his music style and costume designs had a great impact on Turkish pop in the ’70s. He argues that had there not been Erol Büyükburç, Turkish pop would not be where it is today.

Underlining that his costumes are still unique and exclusive, the singer says:

“I gave the money I received from the people to the people. I never spent it on myself. I served to please the people. I held some sort of fashion show every time I took to the stage. Until I came up with my original designs, they used to decorate the concert stages merely with flowers; I once decorated a concert stage in the form of a space base where astronauts would land. So I created a dramatic change Turkish audiences were not expecting. Nobody does this today. Take Tarkan, for example; he is a nice kid, but his stage costumes are garbage. His stylists dress him; but the dresses just don’t work. They all try to dress like regular people. However, an artist has to be different.”

A stage costume that reflects the artist’s identity

In one of the stage costumes Büyükburç designed in the 1960s, he used astrological signs with the signs of Scorpio, Libra and Pisces embroidered on green fabric. That costume, which attracted a great deal of attention in the Turkish press at the time, was worn by the artist on the cover photographs of his albums “Zambaklar Açarken” (As Lilies Bloom) and “Elbet Bir Gün Buluşacağız” (We’re Destined to Meet Someday). This costume is still in good shape despite all the years. The suit also had a huge belt with the figure of a lion’s head on its buckle, but that was replaced by the figure of an eagle because it was lost while he was moving his house. “This is the costume that reflects my identity best,” Büyükburç says.

Throne comes to the rescue

In 1967, Büyükburç was going to give a concert in Ankara. However, a few days ahead of the concert, he fell and broke his leg. His health of course raised concerns over the event among his crew. He had to undergo surgery, and instead of postponing the concert, he postponed the surgery. But how was he to take to the stage with a plastered leg? Renowned anchorman Erkan Yolaç, a close friend of Büyükburç, then came up with an interesting offer: have Büyükburç sit on a throne throughout the concert. The offer was welcomed by the artist and so a mobile throne that would move on the stage on rails was ordered for the show. The flashy throne, adorned with pearls, helped Büyükburç greatly on the day of the concert and the artist also used it in his following concerts in İzmir and İstanbul.