In a world where beige often feels like the default, Afa Ah Loo was unapologetically technicolor. He didn’t just design fashion—he spun culture, identity, and fierce pride into every stitch. When news broke that he was accidentally killed at a protest in Salt Lake City last weekend, the LGBTQ+ and Pasifika communities felt the loss ripple like a snapped thread through silk.
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Arthur Folasa Ah Loo—known to many as simply Afa—was the kind of man who could make a lava-lava look like high couture. At 39, the self-taught Samoan designer had carved out a spot not just on the runway (he was a former Project Runway contestant), but in the hearts of those he championed: artists from the Pacific Islands, queers, and anyone who dared to live out loud in patterns and pride.
Afa co-founded Creative Pacific, a nonprofit uplifting Pacific Islander artists. His mission? To make sure their voices were heard, their work seen, and their heritage honored—not as museum relics but as living, breathing art. He also started Utah Pacific Fashion, because of course he did. How could one runway be enough?
And oh, did his designs speak. Bold. Vibrant. Geometry-meets-goddess. Inspired by his Samoan roots, his garments channeled ancestral energy into avant-garde elegance. Think cultural preservation meets couture revolution.
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You may have recently seen his work gliding down a red carpet in Hawaii, worn by none other than Moana 2 star Auliʻi Cravalho. The look? Divine. Hand-strung white dovetail shells formed a cape-like silhouette, echoing the ʻahu ʻula, feather cloaks worn by Hawaiian royalty. Cravalho said it best to Vogue:
“This was the first time I was so active in helping to design a custom look, and Afa surpassed what I had envisioned.”
Of course he did. That was kind of his thing.
And now, we’re left with a gaping silence where his laughter and ambition used to live. According to Salt Lake City police, Afa was shot when a peacekeeper at the “No Kings” protest opened fire at a man brandishing a rifle, striking Afa in a tragic twist no fashion sketch could’ve predicted. Authorities say the man with the rifle—now charged with murder—set the deadly chain of events in motion. But the why remains heartbreakingly unclear.
What is clear? Afa didn’t die for fashion, but he certainly lived for it. And more than that, he lived for his people. His work wasn’t just glamorous; it was generous. His legacy isn’t just in closets or catwalks—it’s in the dreams he awakened and the pride he wove into being.
He leaves behind a wife and two young children. In just 48 hours, a GoFundMe for his family raised over $100,000—proof that his impact stretched far beyond the runway.
For queer folks, for Pacific Islanders, for anyone who’s ever felt “too much” for the world around them: Afa was proof that “too much” could be just enough to change the world. He wore his culture like armor and offered that shield to others.
Now, it’s on us to pick up the needle.
Rest in power, Afa. You gave us fashion with a soul—and honey, we will never forget the shimmer.
Source: LA Times
“But the why remains heartbreakingly unclear.” No, we KNOW why he was shot, we KNOW why these MAGAs would turn to violence on a Peaceful Protest, and we KNOW these MAGAs are brainwashed by their fuhrer.