Sea of black

THE DEVASTATING loss of Thailand’s beloved Monarch, His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej last Thursday has put an entire nation deep in mourning. 
A sea of black stretched several kilometres along the roads from Siriraj hospital to the Grand Palace on Friday afternoon, as hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered to grieve as the cortege transporting the King’s body to the Grand Palace.
Unity in colour makes a powerful statement at home and well as to the rest of the world. A perfect example of this was back in June 2006 when Thais across the nation dressed in yellow to express their loyalty and devotion to their King on the 60th anniversary of his accession to the throne. Clad in yellow t-shirts bearing the celebration’s special royal emblem, crowds gathered in front of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall to catch a glimpse of Their Majesties the King and Queen when they came out onto the balcony. Images of this sea of yellow were beamed around the world in what has become a spectacular and unforgettable moment for all Thais.
This adhesion to symbols has continued over the past decade with Thais regularly donning yellow tees in honour of the day on which His Majesty was born. Pink became the hue of choice in recent times, based on the belief that it would bring the Monarch good luck as his health declined. 
Today, of course, the colour is the black of mourning. Funeral dress etiquette has become an issue among sobbing royalists and every street in Thailand has turned monochrome in an extraordinary display of collective grief. 
All government officials have been ordered to wear black attire for an entire year and many private businesses are asking employees to dress in black for at least a month. This has sent shoppers rushing to snap up black garments from street vendors and luxury malls, both of which are now replacing their stocks on a daily basis. 
In any culture, funeral dress etiquette should be appropriately conservative and respectful, says Polpat Asavaprapa, creative director of Asava and president of Bangkok Fashion Society. He notes that the clothing should reflect respect and recognition that this is a solemn occasion. 
“It’s not a question of dressing stylishly,” he says. “I always stress that any attire should suit the time, place and the occasion. The mourning dress code is universal. It should be respectful, elegant, and neat but that doesn’t mean 
 you have to rush out and buy a new wardrobe. Just go for plain and good-quality items that suit your budget. In any case, black is the favourite hue of any fashion designer. It is easy to mix and match and can be used for many occasions. So even after the mourning period, people can still use their black clothes. I’d suggest not buying much, just a few good quality pieces that will last.”
 Polpat also recommends being conservative. “The percentage of black must be more than white. Avoid prints if possible, but otherwise small patterns are fine. Texture and details play a major role in creating an interesting dimension in black clothing. Jewellery and cosmetics should be toned down too,” he says. 
Leading brand Greyhound says it is upholding a three-month mourning period and has put some of its production on hold. “We are actually working on our spring and summer 2017 collection and will adjust the colour palette for the local market though not for foreign orders, which have already been filled,” says Vitchukorn Chokedeetaweeanan, brand creative director. 
“For formal occasions, we should follow traditional black attire. But for the normal working day, apart from the formal black suit, we can play with volume and layering, for example a fitted shirt can be worn with a pleated or voluminous skirt. A silk blouse with black slacks also looks nice,” she adds. “For casual wear, a plain black tee worn with pleated slacks or an oversized shirt with skinny trousers is fine. Just stick to simple rules.” 
Pitchana Ekachai, designer and founder of Pitchana, adds that women should avoid anything overly revealing. “Go for a black blouse that buttons up to the neckline and a long skirt. And bring a black scarf to cover the shoulders or head if it rains,” she suggests. 
However, black is black and black shirts, blouses and dresses by such favourite fashion brands as Uniqlo, Zara, H&M and Giordano sold out within hours of the sad announcement being made. 
While waiting for new stocks, shopping malls around town are offering a wealth of separates in grey and dark blue as well as in plain white. Pratunam, Bangkok’s largest wholesale garment market, also has a good selection though its vendors are struggling to keep up with retail demand. 
Chananya Laoudom, who has operated the Yokostyle boutique at Pratunam Market for a decade, sold more than 100 black ready-made blouses and shirts in just half a day. 
“We offer mainly mix-and-match 
 separates for office workers. The market is usually quiet during the week but in recent days, retailers have been pouring in from 4am,” Chananya says.
“There was a rumour on Wednesday but I was unhappy to use my black fabric as the sales officer from Shibuya 19 shopping mall told me that all types of black fabric from China were out of stock. On Friday, some of my friends sold abut Bt40,000 of black T-shirts and polo shirts. Right now I’m working on producing 600 black outfits in chiffon.”
Vendors at the wholesale Bo Bae Market are doing a roaring trade in black t-shirts. Priced from Bt120 to Bt150, some are printed with such messages as “Khor Pen Kha Rong Phra Bat Took Chat Pai” (“May I be your humble servant in all reincarnations”) and the Thai numeral nine.
Kanjana Sae-Eiab and her family own Bo Bae’s Eaim Yong Nguan store.
“We usually sell printed T-shirts in an assortment of colours and with various motifs but we have put these back in stock. We started selling 100 black polo shirts on Friday morning, each priced at Bt200, and they went in 20 minutes,” Kanjana says.
And while prices have increased by an average of Bt50, vendors say most t-shirts are priced at Bt120 for small sizes and Bt140 for large. “We limit customers to three pieces per person so that everyone has mourning attire,” she says.
At popular teenage shopping destination Union Mall, all the clothing is black with occasional splashes of white. Veteran vendor Navin Phusongtham, owner of Bright by Aruna boutique, which is known for its good tailoring, is offering white shirts with a black ribbon, black layered skirts, short dresses and maxi dresses. 
“We have 20 designs on offer. Since Thursday evening, we’ve been averaging sales of 50 black shirts and skirts a day. Our tailors are working flat out and a fabric store in Sam Pheng has already run out of black buttons, lining and fabric,” Navin says.
“We are offering a 15-per-cent discount as we don’t want to take advantage of the situation. Our clothes are priced from Bt350 to Bt1,500, so everyone can afford them. But we have only a limited amount of black fabric left and once that’s used up, we may have to close temporarily.”
Online shopping outlets are also succumbing to the shortage. Pattaranit Trejaroenwiwat, who has run her Jibb_Shop 2 on Instagram for five years, has so many pre-orders that her customers are having to wait at least 10 to 15 days.
“Everyone is in mourning and wants to wear black. I have good connections with Platinum wholesale market but many of my suppliers are out of stock,” Pattaranit says.
“I am honest with my customers and tell them I can’t find products for them right now. They understand and are willing to wait.” 
While stocks of black fabric will no doubt be replenished, in the meantime mourners are being invited to wear a black ribbon pinned to their clothes. After all, everybody understands that all Thais, no matter their station in life, love and miss His Majesty.