CFDA CEO Steven Kolb Gets Physical With PETA Activists At COS Fall 2026 Show, Later Apologises

The head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Steven Kolb, has apologised for reacting “inappropriately” during an altercation with animal rights protesters who disrupted a New York Fashion Week runway show.

Kolb, the CFDA's CEO and president, was filmed appearing to physically restrain two activists who interrupted Swedish fashion brand COS's Fall-Winter 2026 presentation on Sunday. Videos show Kolb grabbing the protesters, snatching their printed signs and covering their mouths with his hands as they shouted slogans including “get wool off the runway now”.

He was also filmed wrapping his leg around one of the activists, appearing to pin the protester to the floor as models continued walking the runway. Shortly after the incident, Kolb apologised in an Instagram Story, saying he had reacted inappropriately and should have allowed the security team to handle the situation.

“It wasn't my place to do so. I should have let the security team handle the situation,” Kolb wrote. Neither Kolb nor the CFDA responded to a request for further comment. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said its activists had been “assaulted” by Kolb.

The group said it targeted COS as part of an ongoing campaign urging its parent company, H&M Group, to stop using wool in its products. One of the protesters, Mason Melito, told CNN shortly after the incident that he did not know who Kolb was until he was ejected from the show.

Videos show Kolb appearing to push Melito into a corner and attempt to cover his mouth. “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,” said the 22-year-old, who described himself as a senior PETA campaigner.

PETA said the protesters were “filing a police report and plan to pursue criminal charges”. However, Melito said they were “just considering our options right now”. He added that what they really wanted was to speak with Kolb.

PETA said the protest was part of its campaign against wool and H&M Group's use of the material. The group has alleged that H&M Group is linked to a South African wool facility that it secretly filmed and accused of treating sheep cruelly.

PETA also claimed that the facility had been certified by Nativa, an ethical fibre industry standard used by the Swedish retail giant. A PETA spokesperson alleged that the facility sells wool to an auction house used by H&M Group.

However, the investigation did not find evidence explicitly linking the farm to H&M Group's products. Neither H&M Group nor Nativa's parent company, Chargeurs, immediately responded to a request for comment. H&M Group has shared its goal of ensuring that 100 per cent of the wool it uses comes from certified responsible wool farms, recycled sources or is replaced with non-animal fibres by 2026.

The CFDA, which represents more than 300 designers and labels, organises New York Fashion Week and hosts an annual awards ceremony.