Retail shops across Thailand are struggling to meet the demand for black outfits and muted wardrobes as people enter into mourning for the death Queen Mother Sirikit.

It’s a result of two converging circumstances: the Oct. 24 passing of Queen Mother Sirikit, the widely venerated consort of Thailand’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s request for all government workers to wear “mourning attire” for one year, with everyone else asked to dress in black or subdued colours for 90 days.

Within a few days, businesses have seen sales of blouses, dresses, polos, shirts and tees in black skyrocket to levels not seen since 2016, when King Bhumibol died after a seven-decade reign and a similar one-year mourning period was observed. Some vendors have now run out o

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