THE TUXEDO MAKER OF ATATURK
Vercihan Ziflioglu

Hurriyet Daily News
Oct 29 2009
Turkey

Levon Kordonciyan is the great-grandchild of Ataturk’s tuxedo maker.

The Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review found him on the 86th
anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic to share
his family’s tale

The ancestors of Levon Kordonciyan migrated to Istanbul from Rize at
the beginning of the 1900s. The family settled in the neighborhood
of Samatya, which was called "The Paris of Istanbul" in those years
due to its modern look and lifestyle.

Kordonciyan was born in 1907, according to Ottoman records, and the
Republic was founded in his early youth, turning a new page for Turkey
and for Kordonciyan as well.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, prepared a
special law to send talented youths to foreign countries for training
and education in various subjects, benefitting hundreds of young
people. Kordonciyan was among the first group that went abroad,
traveling to Paris, the heart of fashion, to receive training to
become a tailor.

Though the family profession was jewel crafting – their name derived
from the golden cordons they had been making for generations – being
a tailor was the young Kordonciyan’s dream and he managed to make
it a reality. After studying in Paris for five years, he returned to
Istanbul and opened a tailor shop in Sultanhamam, the city’s fashion
center in those days. The day he nailed his signboard to the door,
a very special customer with his own designs visited Kordonciyan. It
was Ataturk.

Young Kordonciyan made history as the person to make Ataturk’s first
tuxedo with tails. All of Ataturk’s tuxedos, especially those with
tails, had the signature of Kordonciyan until the Turkish leader’s
death in 1938. According to the tailor’s great-grandson, one of the
Kordonciyan-brand tuxedos Ataturk wore is on display at the Ataturk
Museum in Thessaloniki.

Giant scissors made of train tracks

The Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review found the grandson of
Levon Kordonciyan, who shares his name, on the 86th anniversary
of establishment of the Turkish Republic. The younger Kordonciyan,
a tailor like his great-grandfather, shared the story of his family
with Daily News readers.

Like his predecessor, Kordonciyan makes tuxedos with tails, still
using the patterns, scissors and rulers he inherited. According to
Kordonciyan, Ataturk’s bowties and shirts were made by Greek tailors,
while his hats were made by their Jewish colleagues. One of those hats
is still in his studio. During the interview, Kordonciyan pointed to
a giant pair of one-meter long scissors and said: "My grandfather
made these scissors out of train tracks. They were crafting their
own equipment in those years."

Historical drawings lost in fire

Ataturk’s drawings and his cloth patterns were burned to ashes along
with many other historical objects and documents during the events of
Sept. 6 to 7, 1955. "According to what I heard from my family, our
house was set on fire during the actions by the demonstrators. The
historical documents inside were burned to ashes at that time," said
Kordonciyan. "It is so sad that my grandfather’s gold-foiled diploma
from Paris was burned in the fire too."

The events of that Sept. 6 and 7, a black mark in the history of
Turkey, were caused by the tension arising from the Cyprus issue
between Turkey and Greece, developments that made the public very
tense. When daily Istanbul Express published the news that the house
where Ataturk was born in Thessaloniki had been bombed, violent mobs
hit the streets. The Greek, Armenian and Jewish populations and their
belongings became a target for the mob. Schools, churches, synagogues,
hospitals, houses and stores were set on fire. It was later understood
that the whole thing was a set up, but the damage was already done.

A gift to the White House

The Kordonciyan family was lucky; even though their house was burnt
down, they survived. Moreover, some of the things inherited from
the elder Kordonciyan remained intact after the attacks, which hit
their studio too. "The reason I do my work in the best sense today
is the patterns I inherited from my grandfather. I still work with
his scissors and patterns," said the younger Kordonciyan, adding that
his grandfather died in 1953.

"I saw myself working together with my grandfather in my dreams;
we create models together. You see, design is in my life 24 hours a
day," said Kordonciyan, who makes tuxedos with and without tails for
high-level bureaucrats, just as his grandfather did. The tuxedos of
Turgut Ozal, the eighth president of Turkey, carried his signature.

Kordonciyan said he had prepared a special box and sent it to the
White House for U.S. President Barack Obama’s inauguration. The box
contained a tuxedo Kordonciyan made, cuff links, silk socks, a belt
and a bow tie. Kordonciyan also made tuxedos for Hollywood actor
Bruce Willis and the James Bond movie "Casino Royale."

Tuxedo made in one day, without taking measurements

Kordonciyan said he does not need to take measurements to make a tuxedo
for someone; a look is enough for him. "I need one day only to make
a whole tuxedo flawlessly," he said, noting that he is very precise,
from the cloth of the tuxedo to the shirt to wear with it.

"The collars of a good tuxedo with tails should be satin," he said.

"The bowtie and belt should be of the same satin and the buttons of
the shirt should never be visible. The socks have to be silk."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress