CFDA chief Steven Kolb steps down after runway protest confrontation

Steven Kolb has resigned as chief executive and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the trade body said, days after he was widely criticised for physically restraining animal rights activists at a New York Fashion Week runway show.

In a post on his Substack, Kolb said he had made the "difficult decision" to step down after twenty years leading the organisation.

The CFDA, the leading US fashion-industry trade group and the organiser of New York Fashion Week, had earlier said Kolb was on leave pending a full review by its board. He had described the leave as voluntary.

The confrontation took place on Sunday during a show by COS, an H&M-owned brand, where activists were protesting the company's use of wool. Videos that circulated widely online showed Kolb grabbing at least two protesters, pinning one to the ground and covering her mouth with his hand.

Kolb apologised the following day and said he intended to meet with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which had organised the protest. "There is no justification for physically restraining another person," he said at the time, adding that security should have handled the situation and that he should have stepped back.

PETA said on Sunday that his actions showed how senior figures in fashion use violence to silence people advocating for animal rights.

The CFDA board, led by Thom Browne and including designers such as Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors, said in an Instagram post that it respected Kolb's decision to step down and thanked him for his years of service. The council has not named a successor.