CHARLESTOWN, Ind. — This week marks 44 years since the death of Elvis Presley, and just as his music has lived on, so has an appreciation for his iconic style on stage.
What You Need To Know
- Butch Polston has been making recreations of Elvis Presley's jumpsuits for 40 years
- He and his wife Kim launched B & K Enterprises Costume Co., Inc.
- The business has 12 employees and is located in Charlestown, Indiana
- The garments are made using the original Elvis patterns
The King of Rock n' Roll has always been a part of Butch Polston's life, he said.
“One of the things I always loved about Elvis was his attire, the way he dressed for stage, and I wanted one of his costumes,” Butch said.
An original costume wasn’t in the budget for Butch, but in 1980, he brought four jumpsuits he’d embellished to a gathering of Elvis fans in Memphis, where they caught the eye of a tribute artist, he said.
"He tried them on, said, 'Could I buy them?'" said Butch. "I said, 'They’re not for sale. They’re just show pieces.' And he said, 'I’ll give you $500 a piece for them.' He pulled out a roll of money and the rest is pretty much history."
Butch had been working in construction but kept making replicas of Elvis’ jumpsuits.
“Every time we got an order, I said, 'Well, you know, this will probably be the last one we do,'" said Butch's wife, Kim. "After about ten years, we thought ... what if we advertised? Wonder what would happen?"
Eventually, the Polstons launched B & K Enterprises Costume Co., Inc.
Visiting their workshop in Charlestown, Indiana is like stepping into the 1970s.
A room full of mannequins displays jumpsuits with elaborate embroidery, studs and rhinestones.
The business now has a dozen employees.
Garments are cut and partially assembled in the sewing department and studs and rhinestones are attached on-site.
Some items go to California to have embroidery work done by Gene Doucette, who designed and embroidered Elvis' suits, Butch said.
The business has made costumes for Elvis tribute artists, fans and dozens of movies and TV shows, and the patterns are Elvis originals, according to Butch.
"The jumpsuits are in the public domain," he said. "Anybody can make a blank Elvis jumpsuit, but the artwork, we own the rights and it was given to us by Bill Belew and Gene Doucette, the original designers."
Kim estimated the team makes 200 to 300 jumpsuits a year, in addition to shirts, belts, capes and other garments.
The jumpsuits range in price from around $1,000 to $4,500.
To Butch, each one honors those who worked behind the scenes.
"We’re paying tribute not only to Elvis, but to the men who created these for Elvis," he said. "That’s our tribute. It’s a tribute to those men as well.”
B & K Enterprises Costume Co., Inc. made close to 30 costumes for an upcoming movie, Kim said.
To see more of their work, visit their website here.