Remembering Afa Ah Loo, the Pacific Islander artist, and pioneering fashion designer

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) —  “It’s shocking,” said Donnalesi Vaubula as she recalled Afa Ah Loo, who was killed during the “No Kings” Protest in Salt Lake City on June 14.

“He really inspired a lot of designers and creative people around the world,” she said in an interview with ABC4.com.

Vaubula is the Founder of Fiji Runway, a platform that showcases Fiji-origin fashion designers, design, and culture based in California. She worked with Afa in 2022, and they had stayed in touch since.

“The beauty about Afa was that he always supported various fashion platforms, like start-ups, encouraging people to get into fashion,” Vaubula shared.

Ah Loo was born in Samoa. Vaubula says he was an inspiration to many in the Pacific Islander community.

“When he shared his journey with Fiji Runway, he said he didn’t come from a well-off family. He was selling vegetables in the market. He was like doing everything he could to help his family out,” Vaubula expressed. “And so that journey of coming from Samoa all the way to America, onto the biggest Fashion TV show, that was so inspirational.”

Ah Loo’s accomplishments

Ah Loo gained prominence as a contestant on season 17 of the reality show “Project Runway” in 2019. He was the first fashion designer of Pacific Islander origin to be on the show and finished in 13th place. Rep. Verona Mauga (D-Salt Lake City) told the Associated Press that Ah Loo was a self-taught designer who  devoted his life to doing “good things for his neighbors and community.”

In 2022, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Danna Bui-Negrete wore one of his gowns to the show’s reunion special. He has made custom dresses for Jen Shah, a former cast member.

He recently designed an outfit for Hawaiian actor Auliʻi Cravalho, who is the star of “Moana 2.” She wore that outfit on the red carpet premiere for the film in November.

“This was the first time I was so active in helping to design a custom look, and Afa surpassed what I had envisioned,” Cravalho said at the time.

In an Instagram post Monday, Cravalho said there were “no words to hold the grief of losing” Ah Loo.

According to The Associated Press, Ah Loo co-founded “Create Pacific“ with a hair salon innovator from Fiji, Benjamin Powell. The organization uplifts artists from the Pacific Islands, allowing a new generation to connect with their heritage.

“The way he designed, he always stayed true to his ethos and aesthetics. It always focused on the Island style and Island flair, and he didn’t change that for anybody,” Vaubula noted.

In 2018, Ah Loo was chosen to create a bespoke look for the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange, an initiative for emerging fashion stars, and it was displayed at Buckingham Palace.

Remembering Ah Loo’s legacy

“The beauty about Afa was that he always supported various fashion platforms, like start-ups, encouraging people to get into fashion,” Vaubula told ABC4.com.

“Even for a Pacific Islander to make it to ‘Project Runway,’ everybody was very excited… Afa was part of the Fiji fashion industry, so it was just like such an encouraging moment for everybody because if Afa could make it, then there was the hope and possibility of other designers that could make it,” she added.

“He would always show up for different demographics, and he always wanted to help, and that’s the Island nature. We’re always about community and helping each other, and Afa, he was that true Islander until the day he passed.”

Ah’s final show that he has been working on is set to take place next month. There are two official GoFundMe accounts to help the family. One was created by Ah Loo’s brother-in-law and the other by a family friend.