Arthur Folasa Ah Loo was painfully shot and killed on Saturday during a rally in Salt Lake City. He was 39. Ah Loo was a celebrated Samoan fashion designer known for dressing stars like Auli’i Cravalho and members of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, ” Ah Loo was attending a “No Kings ” protest when gunfire broke out. According to Salt Lake City authorities, he “was never the intended goal of the gunfire. ” Despite work by first firefighters, he died after at a nearby hospital. Cravalho, best known for voicing the title character in Disney’s Moana, paid tribute to Ah Loo on social media, writing, “There are no thoughts to keep the pain of losing you. Your elegance will never be forgotten; and neither will your quiet opposition. My deepest sympathies, affections and Aloha to his home, and all who felt his influence. ”Two men who were acting as part of the protest’s “peacekeeping group ” were detained after the shooting. One of them apparently fired the shot that struck Ah Spot. Authorities said the men confronted Arturo Gamboa, 24, after spotting him manipulating an AR-15-style weapons away from the crowd. When they ordered him to drop the weapon, Gamboa reportedly ran into the audience with the weapons in a “firing place. ”One of the “peacekeepers ” fired three shots, striking both Gamboa and Ah Loo. Gamboa was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on a crime cost. Celebrated designerArthur Folasa Ah Spot founded the style home Afa Ah Loo and was praised for his bright models that highlighted his Pacific Islander history. His job was well loved in the Pacific area and gained wider notice after he appeared on Project Runway in 2019. Although he left the show first, his models were well received. In the years that followed, he dressed some well-known Pacific Islanders. Moana 2 co-director David Derrick Jr. called him a “pillar in the community ” and added, “ I now miss you Uso. Thank you for blessing our life. ”Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana, even shared memories of Ah Spot. She said he designed the outfit she wore for the Moana 2 world debut, which she described as “the most important function of my job. ” Cravalho called his work “thoughtful, sophisticated and powerful depictions of Pacific society. ”Ah Loo’s style voyage began in high school. He previously shared with the Salt Lake City Tribune that a missed eating project led his instructor to guide him towards sewing. “The quite first year, we were cooking cakes, I believe, ” he said. “Instead of baking things, I fried it and I nearly burned down the kitchen… The professor was like, ‘ I think cooking is not your thing. I think maybe we should change you over to needlework. ’”Outside of his profession, Ah Spot focused on his home. He frequently made clothing for them and dedicated a full set to his daughter Vera. “Dedicated to her and her free heart and love for everything and everything creative! ” he wrote. Ah Spot even co-founded Creative Pacific, a nonprofit that helps Pacific Islander musicians and designers. The company was set to host a style show at the end of July, according to NBC News. Ah Loo is survived by his wife and two young children, according to a GoFundMe page for his family that raised over$ 100,000 in 48 hours.
