There’s shock and disbelief at news of the untimely death of famous Samoan fashion designer Afa Ah Loo. The 39-year-old father of two died Saturday after being shot at the No Kings protest in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Investigations are continuingm but it’s believed that a member of the peacekeeping team at the protest was firing at a man brandishing a rifle at demonstrators. One of the three bullets fired hit Ah Loo, an innocent bystander. He died later at a hospital. Police arrested the alleged rifleman 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, who has been charged with murder.
Utah’s Pacific Islander community is in shock, and is remembering Ah Loo as a “family person,” an “advocate” for Samoans, and “a very kind person.”
Susi Malohifo’ou, a Tongan woman living in Salt Lake City, said Ah Loo had “gone places where few Polynesians have been” in the industry.
“He went places where, you know, other designers had never gone,” she said.
“He opened those doors. He was that trendsetter in many ways in the fashion world.”
He founded Creative Pacific, an event celebrating the diversity of the Pacific Islands, with workshops, artists and a fashion runway. He was the first Samoan designer on Project Runway.
Ah Loo and hair and beauty artist Benjamin Powell were in the territory last year conducting workshops on fashion designing, hair, and make up. This was part of the 25th anniversary of Le Taupou Manaia.
He was born in Samoa, where he developed his love for fashion designing from his mother. His first creation was a White Sunday dress for his sister.
A GoFundMe page set up for his family after the shooting described Mr. Ah Loo as “a proud Samoan, deeply connected to his culture and community.”
“Through his work with the non-profit [group] Creative Pacific and his incredible talent as a fashion designer, he shared his heritage with passion and creativity,” it says.
“But more than anything, Afa was proud of the life he built with his wife and their two beautiful children.”
He was also a mentor at the Nafanua Foundation, a non-profit based in Salt Lake City empowering Samoan women and youth through cultural programs.
