Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) President and CEO Steven Kolb has been placed on leave following an altercation with PETA activists during a COS runway show at New York Fashion Week.
The incident took place Sunday at WSA on 175 Water Street, where PETA activists walked onto the runway carrying placards and protesting the use of sheep’s wool by COS and its parent company, H&M Group.
Video footage circulating online appeared to show Kolb physically confronting the protesters. The incident has since sparked widespread criticism.
The CFDA said it is taking the matter very seriously and that Kolb will remain on leave pending a full review. The organization also said it remains committed to engaging respectfully with differing viewpoints and dissenting voices.
Kolb initially acknowledged that he had reacted inappropriately and should have left the situation to security personnel. In a later apology shared on Instagram, he said that reviewing footage of the incident helped him understand the reaction it generated.
Kolb said he was taking voluntary leave and meeting with a professional to ensure such an incident does 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 personally to the two individuals involved.
PETA, meanwhile, said the activists involved planned to file a police report and pursue criminal charges. The organization is calling on H&M and COS to stop using wool in their collections.
PETA has also criticized H&M’s wool-sourcing claims, citing an investigation by PETA Asia into a certified South African operation linked to the retailer’s supply chain.
The CFDA represents more than 300 American designers and oversees initiatives including the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and the annual CFDA Awards. Kolb joined the organization in 2006 and became its CEO in 2011.
