The head of American fashion’s top trade association revealed that he is now taking a leave of absence following an incident in which he reacted “inappropriately” with animal rights protesters during a runway show. The “inappropriate” act was a scuffle in which CEO and president of the Council of Fashion Designers (CFDA), Steven Kolb, physically restrained two activists who interrupted a New York Fashion Week presentation.
The incident was captured on video. The footage shows Kolb manhandling the protesters while snatching at their printed signs, attempting to cover their mouths with his hands, as they shouted a variety of protest slogans, including “get wool off the runway now.” He was also filmed wrapping his leg around one of the individuals, whom he appeared to pin to the floor as models kept walking the runway during the show.
Kolb took to Instagram Stories where he shared a video reacting to the mess, writing, “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 has remained silent despite multiple attempts from major news organizations to get a comment on the incident.
According to a report from CNN, COS, the Swedish brand at the show, put out a statement saying, “We can confirm an unfortunate incident happened at the COS show yesterday, and our priority was always the safety of guests, models, and colleagues at the event.” The CDFA also later confirmed to the network that Kolb would be on leave pending a further review of the scuffle.
The organization stated that it was taking the matter “very seriously” adding that it 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 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, also known infamously as PETA, also released a statement saying that its activists had been “assaulted” by Kolb. The organization also explained that it had been targeting COS as part of its ongoing campaign to pressure its parent company, H&M group, to cease using wool in its products.
One of the protesters, Mason Melito, spoke briefly on the phone with CNN, telling the news outlet that he had been unaware of who Kolb was at the time until after he was tossed from the show. Footage shows Kolb appearing to shove Melito into a corner while trying to cover his mouth. Melito, 22, described himself as a senior campaigner with PETA.
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“The violence the CEO of the CFDA showed toward us, in his attempt to silence us, just completely mirrors the violence inherent in the wool industry,” Melito said of the incident. In PETA’s press release about the altercation, the protesters said they are “filing a police report and plan to pursue criminal charges,” though Melito stated they are “just considering our options right now,” adding, “What we really want to do is talk to Mr. Kolb.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video