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Afa Ah Loo
Samoan fashion designer (1985–2025) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Arthur Folasa Ah Loo (October 1985 – June 14, 2025), better known as Afa Ah Loo, was a Samoan fashion designer. He competed on season 17 of Project Runway.
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Early life and education
Ah Loo was born in October 1985 in Samoa,[1][2] and grew up in Satupaitea and the villages of Falelima (Vaisigano), Lotopa (Tuamasaga), and Neiafu[3][4] with three brothers and two sisters.[5][6] As a child, he helped support his grandparents by selling fruits and vegetables.[6] He began sewing in a home economics class at his high school, World College of Western Samoa.[5][7] Although he enjoyed sewing and designing, they were primarily considered women's tasks.[5][8] His mother, who had sewn throughout his childhood, encouraged him to pursue designing anyway.[5][8] Some of his first major projects were creating Sunday dresses for his younger sisters.[6][8] His first adult-sized dress was a gift for his mother.[8]
Ah Loo was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served a mission in Salt Lake City. He attended Brigham Young University-Hawaii, where he studied political science.[5]
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Career
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Perspective
Ah Loo was a self-taught designer.[1] He prided himself on designing clothing for all body types.[6][8]
Ah Loo launched his titular brand in 2013.[4] In 2015, Ah Loo exhibited his work at Fiji Fashion Week and LA Fashion Week.[9][10] He also designed two outfits for Miss World Samoa Latafale Auva'a to use at the Miss World 2015 pageant in Sanya, China.[7][10] By 2016, Ah Loo was working as a bridal designer.[10] In 2018, he represented Samoa at the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange at Buckingham Palace in London.[11] That same year, he was nominated for the Samoa Business Network's People's Choice Award.[4]
In 2019, Ah Loo competed on season 17 of Project Runway, finishing in 13th place.[12] During his run, he "focused on colorful and boldly patterned designs".[8] He also became known for being the fastest sewer, and sometimes helped other contestants with their projects after finishing early.[13] He returned to the show two years later on Project Runway Redemption.[7]
In 2022, he designed an outfit for Danna Bui-Negrete of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.[14] In 2023, he designed the traditional gown for Miss Global Samoa Haylanni Pearl Kurrupu.[15] In 2024, he designed an outfit for actress Auli'i Cravalho to wear to the premiere of Moana 2.[1][16]
In 2023, Ah Loo co-founded Utah Pacific Fashion, the state's first fashion show focusing on designers from Oceania.[13] Ah Loo founded nonprofit organization Creative Pacific in 2024.[9][12] He was also a mentor at the Nafanua Foundation in Salt Lake City.[1]
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Personal life
While visiting his sister in Utah, Ah Loo met his future wife, Laura. He moved to Utah permanently in 2016[5] and the two married.[8] The couple had two young children at the time of Ah Loo's death.[1] He and his family lived in Utah.[1]
Death
On June 14, 2025, Ah Loo was shot while attending the No Kings protest in Salt Lake City.[1][17] Ah Loo was shot accidentally when volunteer "peacekeepers" shot at a man who was carrying a rifle.[17][18][19][20] Police later confirmed Ah Loo was an innocent bystander, and had not been an intended target.[12] Ah Loo was transported to a hospital, where he died. He was 39.[17][12][1] Utah police announced an investigation into his death was ongoing.[1]
Ah Loo was the only reported fatality during the series of nationwide protests.[12]
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References
External links
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