Former ‘Project Runway' Designer Identified as Fatal Victim in Shooting at ‘No Kings' March in Salt Lake City

Yahoo

5 days ago

The fashion designer and former 'Project Runway' contestant Arthur Folasa 'Afa' Ah Loo has been identified as the fatal victim during Saturday's shooting at a 'No Kings' march and demonstration in downtown Salt Lake City.
The 39-year-old was a Utah resident, according to a spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police Department. The Samoa-born designer ran his namesake business in the state and he was part of the nonprofit Creative Pacific Foundation. Representatives at his company and the nonprofit did not respond immediately to media requests.
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Thousands know the designer for participating in season 17 of the Bravo show 'Project Runway.' Nina Garcia, Elle's editor in chief and longtime 'Project Runway' judge, said Monday that her heart broke hearing of Afa's passing. 'After spending time with him on the set of 'Project Runway,' I knew personally how driven and how kind he was. I was always so moved by how he brought his Samoan heritage to his design,' she said. 'He radiated joy and light on set, and it has been a privilege to watch him flourish in recent years. My thoughts and prayers are with Afa and his family.'
'Devastated' by the loss of Ah Loo, the fashion designer and 'Project Runway' judge Christian Siriano described him as 'a bright light and creative force.' Siriano noted that while protesting against the Trump administration, 'Ah Loo was taken from us far too soon, because of guns.' The New York-based designer said that he partners with the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety to speak out against gun violence.
Tessa Clark, one of Ah Loo's fellow contestants from season 17, recalled Monday how he 'brought so much joy and laughter' to the show. 'He could easily make us laugh, while offering a hand and support during design challenges. Nothing could prepare any of us for the challenge of losing a friend,' Clark said.
She said that Ah Loo loved his wife and children more than anything in the world. Clark added, 'It was apparent he cared about people, his community, and being creative in a world that can lean toward being careless. He was a good person through and through. More people should be like Afa.'
Ah Loo was described as an 'innocent bystander' by the Salt Lake City Police Department in a press release. Saturday's incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. MST, when gunfire could be heard near 151 South State Street. Hundreds ran for safety, with some hiding in parking garages or behind barriers, and others went into nearby businesses, according to the SLCPD. After officers arrived to secure the scene, they found a man who had been shot and immediately began lifesaving efforts. Ah Loo later died at an unidentified hospital. The cause and manner of his death will be determined by the Salt Lake City medical examiner's office.
Danielle Conlon, a public information officer for Utah's Department of Health and Human Services, was unable to share any information about the autopsy, due to Utah being considered a closed record state regarding any records from the office of the medical examiner. The Utah DHHS said in a statement Monday, 'Our hearts go out to everyone impacted. Thank you to the protesters who exercised their constitutional rights, and to the security, SLCPD, DPS, and medical personnel whose actions protected lives.'
Ah Loo was part of a crowd of about 10,000 people who had turned out in Salt Lake City, which was one of the numerous 'No Kings' protests that were held across the U.S. Saturday in opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
The preliminary investigation by the SLCPD showed that Ah Loo was 'not the intended target' and that he had been struck by an alleged peacekeeper, according to the department. Officers on the scene Saturday night also found 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa on the ground with a gunshot wound and an AR-15 style rifle nearby. He was treated and taken into custody. SLCPD said they detained two men, who were wearing neon green vests and were carrying handguns. They were said to be part of the peacekeeping movement. One of the men was said to have fired three rounds after Gamboa raised the rifle he was carrying and ran toward the crowd. One round struck Gamboa and another 'tragically wounded' Ah Loo, according to the SLCPD.
As of Monday afternoon, a GoFundMe initiative that had been set up to help Ah Loo's wife Laura cover the expenses for his funeral, and 'to ease the immediate financial burdens that she now faces,' had raised $196,721.
Born and raised in Samoa, Ah Loo was introduced to fashion by his mother, who sewed most of the clothing that he and his five siblings wore. As a student, while taking a home economics class and nearly burning down the kitchen, he decided to switch tracks to sewing. His first assignment was making a dress for one of his sisters, according to his 'Project Runway' profile on the Bravo site. Ah Loo attended Brigham Young University's outpost in Hawaii.
On the show the designer's unsuccessful creation that combined a map and a hammock reportedly led to his departure from the design challenge-based program. Ah Loo later helped out another Bravo personality for a different outing. He created the burnt orange cape ensemble that Danna Bui-Negrete wore to appear on 'The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' Season Three reunion. Ah Loo said at that time that he had created a traditional Vietnamese look called an ''Áo Dài' with a modern twist to it for Bui-Negrete, who identifies as Vietnamese American.
Several years ago Ah Loo took part in the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange, which resulted in his having one of his Samoan-inspired designs displayed in an exhibition at Buckingham Palace that had been curated by Hamish Bowles.
More recently, Ah Loo had been tapped to take part in the Papua New Guinea Fashion Week's Pacific Fashion Summit, which is scheduled to take place in September.
Stefany De Rei, general manager of the Utah Fashion World, described the designer as 'a kind and warm person, who always had a smile on his face. He always treated us so welcomingly.'
Plans for a memorial service for Ah Loo were not immediately known. Aside from his wife Laura and two children, the names of his other survivors were not known Monday.Best of WWD
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