CFDA boss apologizes for acting ‘inappropriately’ against protesters at New York Fashion Week show

The head of American fashion’s leading trade association has apologized for reacting “inappropriately” after an altercation with animal rights protesters at a runway show.

The CEO and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Steven Kolb, was filmed appearing to physically restrain two activists who interrupted a New York Fashion Week presentation on Sunday.

Videos show Kolb grabbing the protestors, snatching at 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, whom he appeared to pin to the floor as models continued walking the runway at Swedish brand COS’s Fall-Winter 2026 show.

Posting on Instagram Stories shortly after the incident, Kolb wrote: “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.” Neither he nor the CFDA responded to CNN’s request for further comment.

In a statement, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said its activists had been “assaulted” by Kolb. The group said it had targeted COS as part of an ongoing campaign to pressure the label’s parent company, H&M Group, to cease using wool in its products.

In a phone interview shortly after the incident, one of the protesters, Mason Melito, told CNN he had been unaware of who Kolb was until after he was ejected from the show. Videos show Kolb appearing to push Melito into a corner and attempting 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, describing himself as a senior campaigner with PETA.

Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

In a press release, PETA said the protesters are “filing a police report and plan to pursue criminal charges,” though Melito said they are “just considering our options right now.” He added: “What we really want to do is talk to Mr. Kolb.”

Counting more than 300 designers and labels among its members, the CFDA organizes New York Fashion Week, which concludes Tuesday, and hosts an annual awards ceremony dubbed the “Oscars of Fashion.” Kolb has served as the organization’s CEO since 2011.

Last December, the CFDA announced that it was banning animal fur at New York Fashion Week, although this does not include wool or other products derived from shorn animal hairs. The move was, at the time, welcomed by PETA, which famously staged a naked protest at Oscar de la Renta’s New York Fashion Week runway show in 1991 as part of its long-running “I’d rather go naked” campaign .

PETA has alleged that H&M Group is linked to a South African wool facility that it secretly filmed treating sheep cruelly. The nonprofit group says the facility has been certified by Nativa, an ethical fiber industry standard used by the Swedish retail giant. A PETA spokesperson also alleged that the facility sells wool to an auction house used by H&M Group.

The investigation did not find evidence explicitly linking the farm to the H&M Group’s products. Neither H&M Group nor Nativa’s parent company, Chargeurs, immediately responded to CNN’s request for comment.

H&M Group has shared its goal of ensuring 100% of all wool used will come from certified responsible wool farms, recycled sources or replaced with non-animal fibers by 2026.

COS has become a regular fixture at New York Fashion Week since debuting in 2022. Celebrities including Lupita Nyong’o, Sharon Stone, John Boyega and Michelle Williams attended at the WSA Building in downtown Manhattan for this season’s show, which continued despite the interruption.

美国时尚界主要贸易协会的负责人就其在时装秀上与动物权利抗议者发生冲突后“反应不当”一事道歉。

美国时装设计师协会 (CFDA) 首席执行官兼主席史蒂文·科尔布 (Steven Kolb) 被拍到在周日纽约时装周的一场时装秀上，对两名扰乱现场的活动人士进行肢体约束。

视频显示，科尔布抓住抗议者，抢夺他们的标语牌，并用手捂住他们的嘴，而抗议者则高喊着“立即停止在T台上使用羊毛”等口号。他还被拍到用腿缠住一名抗议者，似乎将其按倒在地，而模特们则继续在瑞典品牌COS的2026秋冬时装秀上走秀。

事件发生后不久，科尔布在Instagram Stories上发文称：“今天早些时候，我在一场秀上对一起事件反应不当。我不应该那样做。我应该让安保团队处理这件事。”他和美国时装设计师协会（CFDA）均未回复CNN的置评请求。

善待动物组织（PETA）在一份声明中表示，其活动人士遭到了科尔布的“攻击”。该组织称，他们之所以将COS作为攻击目标，是其持续施压该品牌母公司H&M集团停止在其产品中使用羊毛行动的一部分。

事件发生后不久，抗议者之一梅森·梅利托在接受CNN电话采访时表示，他直到科尔布被赶出节目后才知道他是谁。视频显示，科尔布似乎将梅利托推到角落，并试图捂住他的嘴。

“美国时装设计师协会 (CFDA) 首席执行官为了让我们噤声而对我们表现出的暴力，完全反映了羊毛行业固有的暴力，”这位 22 岁的年轻人说道，他自称是 PETA 的一名高级活动家。

Caitlin Ochs/路透社

PETA在一份新闻稿中表示，抗议者们“正在向警方报案，并计划提起刑事诉讼”，但梅利托表示他们“目前只是在考虑各种方案”。他补充说：“我们真正想做的是与科尔布先生对话。”

美国时装设计师协会（CFDA）拥有超过300名设计师和品牌会员，负责组织纽约时装周（将于周二闭幕），并举办一年一度的颁奖典礼，该典礼被誉为“时尚界的奥斯卡”。科尔布自2011年以来一直担任该协会的首席执行官。

去年12月，美国时装设计师协会（CFDA）宣布禁止在纽约时装周上使用动物皮草，但羊毛或其他由动物毛发制成的产品除外。此举当时受到了善待动物组织（PETA）的欢迎。PETA曾在1991年奥斯卡·德拉伦塔的纽约时装周秀场上举行裸体抗议，这是其长期开展的“我宁愿裸体”运动的一部分。

PETA（善待动物组织）指控H&M集团与一家南非羊毛加工厂有关联，该组织秘密拍摄到这家加工厂虐待绵羊的画面。这家非营利组织称，该加工厂已获得Nativa认证，Nativa是瑞典零售巨头H&M集团采用的道德纤维行业标准。PETA发言人还声称，该加工厂向H&M集团合作的一家拍卖行出售羊毛。

调查并未发现任何明确证据表明该农场与H&M集团的产品有关。H&M集团和Nativa的母公司Chargeurs均未立即回应CNN的置评请求。

H&M 集团已公布其目标，即到 2026 年，确保所使用的所有羊毛 100% 来自经认证的负责任的羊毛农场、回收来源或被非动物纤维替代。

自 2022 年首次亮相以来，COS 已成为纽约时装周的常客。包括 Lupita Nyong'o、Sharon Stone、John Boyega 和 Michelle Williams 在内的众多名人出席了本季在曼哈顿市中心 WSA 大楼举行的时装秀，尽管受到疫情干扰，时装秀仍然继续进行。