Afa Ah Loo pictured with wife Laura and children Vera and Isaac enjoying a visit to Santa.
Afa Ah Loo pictured with wife Laura and children Vera and Isaac enjoying a visit to Santa.
The family of renowned Samoan fashion designer Afa Ah Loo are calling for justice for their brother, son, husband and father after he was fatally shot while at a protest in the United States.
The 39-year-old, known for his Pasifika-inspired designs, was attending an anti-Trump “No Kings” protest in SaltLake City, Utah, when he was hit by gunfire on Saturday night, local time.
Ah Loo later died in hospital.
His eldest brother, Auckland-based Herman Ah Loo, told the Herald they were still struggling to comprehend the sudden loss of their sibling, the youngest of five.
Samoan fashion designer Afa Ah Loo and his seamstress mother, Tuioti Fila Taupauga Ah Loo, who inspired him to start sewing.
Herman Ah Loo said their elderly mother, Tuioti Fila Taupauga Ah Loo, lives in Samoa and had been trying to contact him after being told the devastating news.
“My son called me at work saying: ‘Nana’s trying to call you’. When I phoned her and she told me what happened to Afa, I didn’t think it was true.
“When the news broke, saying his name and calling him one of Samoa’s top fashion designers – Afa Ah Loo – it finally sank in.
“There were no other words. I just cried and cried.”
Salt Lake City Police are heading investigations into the circumstances surrounding Ah Loo’s death. The designer was accidentally struck after two people shot at a man allegedly armed with a rifle.
Fashion designer Afa Ah Loo is a well-known name in the Pacific fashion industry.
Herman described the family’s heartbreak.
“We are all devastated. A person’s life – you only get it once. It’s hard. We never got to say goodbye.
“The person who shot Afa – we don’t have much to say about that. The investigation is in the hands of the police now.
“But all we want is that justice is served, for Afa, his wife and children and us, his family.”
The celebrated fashion designer, who was the first Samoan to appear on the US hit show Project Runway, and his wife Laura often travelled to New Zealand and stayed with his brother and family in South Auckland.
“Whenever he had a fashion show or anything like that, they’d come and stay with us.
“He’s my kids’ favourite uncle – always calling them and joking and they joked back.”
Herman said US-based relatives had rushed to support Afa’s wife and children after the news broke.
Afa and Laura Ah Loo with their children Vera and Isaac Ah Loo. Afa Ah Loo was shot and killed in the US during an anti-Trump protest.
He said the couple met while Afa was in Utah one year, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They have two young children, daughter Vera and son Isaac.
“He was a very proud husband and father. He wanted to be there for his kids and be a family man.
“The love he had for his wife and especially his kids, he was so passionate about that.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up by close friends to help Laura Ah Loo and her children.
Humble beginnings – a family’s pride
The Ah Loo family hails from the villages of Falelima and Vaitoloa in Samoa. However, they all grew up and lived in the village of Lotopa, in Upolu, where their mother still lives.
And Herman said it was their seamstress mother who ultimately introduced and inspired his younger brother to the world of fashion.
“Afa is the only one of us who took up sewing, like our mum.
“Growing up, he was always very curious. Whatever the old lady made... when she left the room, you’d see him sitting at the sewing machine, giving it a go.
“That’s how his passion started. He made clothes at home and carried it on to high school in home economics.”
The Ah Loo family from Samoa.
Herman said as Afa’s passion grew and he started to thrive in the local Samoan and later international fashion industry, it became a huge source of pride for their aiga.
“We were so proud of him. He was putting our last name out there and I was proud to tell people that was my little brother.”
As the years went by and Afa and his family established a life in Utah, he continued to be the main breadwinner for his family in the islands, regularly sending money or organising weekly groceries to support their mum.
The Ah Loo siblings are now due to travel to the US over the next few days to say their final goodbyes to their youngest brother, whose funeral is being planned for next week.
Herman said their Samoan-based mother would not be able to travel.
“It’s very hard she won’t be able to be there. But she said that as long as we’re all there, she will be okay and will be praying for us from Samoa.”
