Laura Ah Loo speaks at a celebration of life for her husband, Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo, at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
Last spring Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo posted a photo of his daughter Vera wearing a baby blue mermaid-style dress with puffy sleeves and a train. She had designed it on her own so, certainly, as a fashion designer who didn’t hesitate to make a gown for a loved one, he made her vision come true.
On Friday, Vera wore that gown again while singing for hundreds during the celebration of life Ah Loo’s friends and family organized after he was tragically wounded during the “No Kings” rally June 14. Many joined Vera in donning the tributes to the renowned designer’s style, wearing geometrical prints, flowers, formal wraparound skirts known as ie faitaga, sleek hairstyles, and so, so many of Ah Loo’s gowns…