US fashion council CEO quits after backlash over manhandling NY Fashion Week event protesters

Steven Kolb resigned as head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America on Friday, days after coming under ‌fire for physically restraining animal rights activists at a New ​York Fashion ⁠Week runway show.

"After twenty years leading ‌the CFDA, I have ‌made the difficult decision to step down as CEO and President," Kolb said in a post on his Substack.

The CFDA, the ‌leading US fashion-industry trade group and organiser of New York Fashion ⁠Week, said on Tuesday that Kolb was on leave pending a full review by the council's board, after he said he was taking a voluntary leave.

On Sunday, Kolb grabbed at least two activists protesting H&M-owned COS's use of wool during a ​runway show. He pinned one protester to the ground and ‌covered her mouth with his hand, according to videos viewed by Reuters that circulated widely online.

Kolb apologised on Monday, saying he ⁠planned 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. "Security should have handled the situation, and ‌I should have stepped back."

Kolb's physical confrontation with the activists led to a widespread backlash, with PETA on Sunday saying his actions "show ‌how top ‌people 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 CFDA did not name a successor.

Reuters