Death is the family business for Viroj Suriyasenee, a second-generation Thai funeral director.
His bespoke coffins range from plain wooden boxes to ornate creations trimmed in gold with plush red velvet interiors, priced anywhere from US$30 to US$30,000 – each one representing a story of loss, grief and a life concluded.
They also speak to the sheer scale of Asia’s ever-growing, multibillion-dollar death economy.
All the coffins Viroj makes are destined for the cremation furnace, yet the…