Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has been placed on leave following an altercation with PETA activists at the COS runway show during New York Fashion Week, Business of Fashion reported.
In a video clip posted on X by Al Jazeera English, Kolb appeared to be “wrestling with and smothering the faces of PETA activists” during the show. The activists were protesting the use of wool on runways, according to the post.
The CFDA said it takes the matter very seriously and that Kolb will remain on leave pending a full review. The organization added that it is committed to working with dissenting voices and engaging respectfully with differing viewpoints.
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The incident took place Sunday at WSA at 175 Water Street, where activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals walked onto the runway carrying placards and shouting about the use of sheep’s wool by COS and its parent company, H&M Group.
Kolb initially said he had reacted inappropriately and should have left the situation to the security team. He later posted a more detailed apology on his personal Instagram Stories on Monday.
According to Business of Fashion, Kolb wrote that reviewing videos of the incident helped him understand the reaction they generated and that he did not recognize the person he saw in them.
He said he was taking voluntary leave and meeting with a professional to ensure it would not happen again. He also said he was holding himself accountable, had accepted an invitation from PETA to discuss its concerns and hoped to apologize in person to the two individuals involved.
PETA, meanwhile, said the activists involved in the altercation were filing a police report and planned to pursue criminal charges.
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“Today’s actions show how top people in fashion use violence to silence people who expose how sheep are beaten, bloodied, and violently killed for scarves and sweaters,” PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement Sunday. “PETA is calling on H&M and COS to ban wool from its collections and is urging everyone to shop elsewhere until they do.”
PETA’s protest targeted H&M’s wool sourcing. The organization has accused the retailer of misleading consumers over its responsible-wool claims, citing a PETA Asia investigation into a certified South African operation in the group’s supply chain.
The CFDA represents more than 300 American designers and runs initiatives including the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and the annual CFDA Awards. Kolb joined the organization in 2006 and was appointed chief executive in 2011.