New York Fashion Week was already packed with runway drama, but a protest at the COS show on September 13 quickly turned into a controversy involving one of the most prominent figures in American fashion. Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), has been placed on leave after being filmed physically intervening during a PETA protest at the show. The CFDA has now said the incident is being reviewed.
CFDA says Kolb will remain on leave pending review
Following the incident, the CFDA issued a statement addressing the controversy and confirmed that Kolb would temporarily step away from his duties.
"The CFDA takes this matter very seriously, and as a result, Mr. Kolb will be on leave pending a full review. The CFDA as an organisation is committed to working with dissenting voices to find commonality and is engaged in efforts to move the American fashion industry forward while upholding the values of our membership, including respectful engagement with differing viewpoints," the statement read.
Check out the statement below:
What happened on the runway?
The controversy unfolded on Sunday, September 13, during COS' New York Fashion Week presentation in downtown Manhattan. Several PETA activists entered the runway area carrying protest signs and voicing opposition to the use of sheep wool in fashion.
As the protest unfolded, Kolb became involved rather than leaving the situation entirely to event security. According to PETA's account, Kolb held one protester to the floor and covered her mouth and nose while she was shouting that sheep were “bloodied and beaten for wool.”
The organisation also alleged that he grabbed another protester who was filming the demonstration. PETA said it intended to file a police report and pursue criminal charges. These are allegations from PETA and have not been established as findings by a court.
Kolb later addressed the incident himself, acknowledging that his response was not appropriate. “I reacted inappropriately to an incident at a show earlier today. It wasn’t my place to do so. I should have let the security team handle the situation,” Kolb said in a statement shared with WWD on September 13.
