New York Fashion Week has found itself at the center of a controversy extending far beyond the runway.
Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has been placed on leave following a confrontation with PETA protesters during the COS Fall/Winter 2026 runway show in New York City on Sunday, September 13.
The CFDA confirmed the decision Monday, saying Kolb would remain on leave while the organization conducts a full review of what happened. The move follows the rapid circulation of videos showing one of American fashion’s most prominent executives physically intervening as animal rights activists disrupted the COS presentation.
“The CFDA takes this matter very seriously, and as a result, Mr. Kolb will be on leave pending a full review,” the organization said in a statement.
The CFDA added that it remains committed to engaging with dissenting voices while advancing the American fashion industry and maintaining respectful engagement with differing viewpoints.
A Runway Protest Turns Physical
The confrontation unfolded during COS’ New York Fashion Week presentation at WSA in downtown Manhattan.
As models continued down the runway, protesters affiliated with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals entered the presentation carrying signs and calling attention to the use of wool in fashion.
What began as a runway disruption quickly escalated.
Videos from inside the show show Kolb intervening directly rather than leaving the removal of the protesters entirely to event security. In footage that circulated widely online, he can be seen pushing and restraining protesters as the presentation continued around them.
One of the most widely shared moments shows Kolb restraining a female protester on the floor while she continued shouting about wool. Additional footage shows him confronting another activist near the runway.
The unexpected scene unfolded in front of guests, editors and celebrities, many of whom raised their phones to record what was happening as models continued walking.
The incident immediately became one of the most discussed moments to emerge from this season of New York Fashion Week.
Kolb Acknowledges His Response Was Wrong
Kolb addressed his actions shortly after the confrontation, acknowledging that he should not have personally intervened.
“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 said in a statement following the show.
He issued additional comments Monday, apologizing for his behavior and accepting responsibility for how he responded to the protesters.
The apology, however, did not prevent the incident from developing into a larger issue for the CFDA.
By Monday afternoon, the organization had announced that Kolb would be placed on leave pending its review.
For an executive who has spent roughly two decades helping guide one of the most influential organizations in American fashion, the development represents an extraordinary moment.
PETA Signals Possible Legal Action
PETA has maintained that its activists were conducting a peaceful protest intended to draw attention to the treatment of sheep within the wool industry.
The organization has also said protesters involved in the confrontation intend to file a police report and pursue possible criminal charges related to the incident.
PETA President Tracy Reiman subsequently sent a letter to Kolb seeking to move the conversation beyond Sunday’s confrontation.
Rather than treating the incident as the final chapter between the organizations, PETA invited Kolb and the CFDA to meet and discuss the use of wool and other animal-derived materials within fashion.
The invitation arrives during a particularly relevant moment for the CFDA. A ban on fur has taken effect for the official New York Fashion Week schedule this season, marking a significant policy shift regarding animal-derived materials.
PETA is now pushing the industry to reconsider wool as well.
The organization says investigations into wool operations across multiple countries have documented animal mistreatment, including at facilities marketed under responsible or ethical standards. PETA has also connected its latest campaign to an operation it says has ties to H&M Group, the parent company of COS.
COS and H&M Group have not been accused of participating in Sunday’s physical confrontation. An H&M Group spokesperson said following the incident that the company’s priority was the safety of guests, models and colleagues at the event.
A Larger Question for the CFDA
The controversy now extends beyond what happened during a few chaotic minutes at a fashion show.
Kolb has occupied a highly visible position within American fashion for approximately 20 years, working alongside multiple CFDA chairmen while helping shape the organization’s relationship with designers, brands and New York Fashion Week.
That history makes the CFDA’s decision to place him on leave particularly significant.
The organization has not announced the outcome of its review or indicated whether Kolb’s leave will become permanent.
Questions about his future are nevertheless already circulating throughout the fashion industry.
The incident also raises a broader conversation about how fashion institutions, brands and event organizers respond when activism enters spaces traditionally built around carefully controlled presentations.
Fashion has long been intertwined with protest, politics, cultural movements and social change. Runways themselves have repeatedly become platforms for messages extending beyond clothing.
But Sunday’s confrontation shifted attention from the protesters’ message to the physical response to their presence.
It is a distinction that may ultimately become central to the CFDA’s review.
Regardless of whether guests agreed with PETA’s tactics or its position on wool, Kolb himself has acknowledged that physically intervening was not his responsibility and that security should have handled the disruption.
What Happens Next
For now, Steven Kolb remains on leave while the CFDA reviews the incident.
PETA, meanwhile, appears determined to continue pushing the fashion industry on its use of wool while leaving open the possibility of dialogue with the organization.
The COS presentation may have lasted only minutes, but what happened around its runway has become one of the defining industry stories of this New York Fashion Week.
And as the videos continue circulating, attention is shifting away from what happened Sunday and toward what comes next for Kolb and the organization he has helped lead for two decades.
For the CFDA, the question is no longer simply how a protest was handled.
It is how one of American fashion’s most powerful institutions responds when the conduct of its own leadership becomes part of the story.
