Mourning Thais dye clothes as prices for black apparel surge

A woman walks in front of a display of mannequins wearing black and white clothing at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. Authorities are urging calm as social media throbs with criticism of people who aren't wearing black and white clothing to mourn the revered monarch and some arch-royalists take to reprimanding people in public. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (The Associated Press)

Clothes are dyed black, the color worn by Thais mourning the death of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, by members of Krung Thai Tractor, a tractor and heavy machinery importing company, at the free dying station in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. Pop-up clothes dyeing centers are a new phenomenon in the Thai capital as black apparel becomes too expensive for many following the king's death. The Thai government has declared national mourning for Bhumibol, who died Thursday, and some clothing sellers have been quick to hike prices for black garments. Others have run out of stock. (AP Photo/Natnicha Chuwiruch) (The Associated Press)

Clothes are dyed black, the color worn by Thais mourning the death of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, by members of Krung Thai Tractor, a tractor and heavy machinery importing company, at the free dying station in Bangkok Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. Pop-up clothes dyeing centers are a new phenomenon in the Thai capital as black apparel becomes too expensive for many following the king's death. The Thai government has declared national mourning for Bhumibol, who died Thursday, and some clothing sellers have been quick to hike prices for black garments. Others have run out of stock. (AP Photo/Natnicha Chuwiruch) (The Associated Press)

Pop-up clothes dyeing centers are a new phenomenon in the Thai capital as black apparel becomes too expensive for many following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The Thai government has declared one year of mourning for Bhumibol, who died Thursday, and some clothing sellers have been quick to hike prices for black garments. Others have run out of stock.

Vats of black dye were boiling Monday at a free dying station set up in downtown Bangkok by a tractor importing company.

Volunteers rushed to write down names and contact information from a stream of visitors bringing in clothes to dye black.

A Krung Thai Tractor employee helping out at the center, Kanokporn Tantranont, said "Some people don't have black clothes or don't have enough to wear."