Afa Ah Loo, the Samoan designer, brought his unique vision to Project Runway. After being eliminated, Afa shared some thoughts about the competition.
In Project Runway season 17, Afa Ah Loo appeared to be a rising designer in this season’s competition. The celebrated Samoan fashion designer had already accomplished several accolades in the fashion world prior to his appearance on the Bravo fashion competition. Still, this opportunity introduced his“sweetly bold” vibe to a wider audience.
Afa is a self-taught fashion designer. Growing up in Samoa, his first experiences in designing came from a high school sewing class. While his mother’s sense of fashion and her encouragement inspired this career, Afa continues to evolve his fashion aesthetic. Now living in Utah, the designer is committed to both his career pursuits and giving back to the community.
Prior to being a contestant on Project Runway, Afa showcased a bespoke look in the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange at Buckingham Palace. This impressive look combined traditional Samoan material with a bold, floral print. The look was a stunning blend of design and sustainability, which kept with the program’s goals.
With placement in that exchange, shows at Fiji Fashion Week and LA Fashion Week, Afa has securing his name in the fashion industry.
After being eliminated, I was able to ask Afa a few questions about his time on Project Runway. In episode 4, Afa was eliminated in the survival chic, unconventional materials challenge. It is curious that a designer who has had experience with using unconventional materials (his Commonwealth Fashion Exchange look contained coconut husks) struggled in this challenge.
Since the unconventional materials challenge is always a popular episode with Project Runway fans, I asked Afa if he had prepared for this type of challenge. He said, “I had no ideas going into the whole season actually. I thought to myself, that I am going to take the challenges as they come and come up with new ideas while I’m there. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so why would I restrain myself to ideas that I have before going in, when I can just let the competition and challenges given inspire me.”
While this season’s unconventional materials challenge episode had the added twist of camping, designers seem to struggle with constructing a look with these materials. Although viewers love seeing how these materials are transformed, the designers can struggle with construction.
PROJECT RUNWAY — Episode 1704 — Pictured: Designed by Afa Ah Loo — (Photo by: Scott Gries/Bravo)
Afa said, “I think the hardest thing about [the] unconventional materials challenge is figuring out how to put the things together. Whether it be gluing or sewing things, you don’t know if you use a glue gun, will l burn the materials used? Or will it not even glue the materials on properly? Then you chance the pieces falling off the outfit while it’s on the runway, etc. That, for me is the hardest thing working with unconventional materials.”
While Afa was only in four episodes, each week seemed to challenge the designers with bigger, more evolved challenges. Given that many of these looks are created in a finite amount of time, I asked Afa if he ever had to compromise his vision during the competition.
He said, “I don’t think I ever did! I always had an idea in my mind after I sketched, and I usually stuck with what I had. Sometimes, if I had feedback from the mentors, I tried to find a different way of doing my vision but still staying true to my aesthetic as a designer.”
Although Project Runway is a design competition, the personality aspect is always part of the show. Whether it is the sly workroom comment or just living together with people you don’t know, the dynamic between contestants is always part of the show drama.
Looking at the season so far, there seems to be an overall supportive vibe. With so many people with different backgrounds, I asked Afa about his experience with his fellow designers. He said, “EVERYONE was helping everyone. I think this season proved that people from different backgrounds can come together and compete and still have time to help each other.”
One of the biggest differences in this season’s revamped Project Runway is former winner Christian Siriano returning as the designers’ mentor. Christian’s approach to mentoring appears to be a more straightforward approach, clearly stating his opinion during workroom visits.
Since every designer is different, I asked Afa how Christian’s feedback helped or hindered his workroom design process. Afa said, “Honestly, yes and no. It helped sometimes but then other times he would leave me hanging and I had to re-interpret what he said to try to change and make the design better. It provided me with a little more pressure in those situations, but helped me grow for sure!”
While Afa Ah Loo is out of Project Runway season 17, he has many projects ahead of him. There is his brand’s fashion show scheduled for April 13 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has founded the charity, Alofa Humanitarian, an organization that supports humanitarian efforts in Samoa. Also, new designs can be found on his brand’s website.
Afa himself said that his plans are “expand my brand and keep going with my vision as a designer.” With that type of positive attitude, Afa should succeed in his goals, and I wish him well in his journey.