CFDA chief apologises after tackling PETA protesters at COS show
The head of American fashion's main trade body pulled protesters to the floor during a New York runway show and later said he had acted inappropriately. Steven Kolb, president and chief executive officer of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the US body that represents fashion designers, became involved in a scuffle at the COS spring show on 13 September. Security staff escorted most of the protesters from the room.
The clash happened at WSA at 175 Water Street, during New York Fashion Week, the twice-yearly programme of designer shows. Activists from PETA, the animal-rights campaign group, walked down the runway during the show. They held a sign that read "Sheep Beaten and Bloodied for Wool. Don't Buy It" to protest against the use of sheep's wool by COS, the fashion label owned by H&M, the Swedish retail group, according to WWD.
Kolb pulled one female protester to the floor. He covered her mouth and tried to keep her down while she shouted "Get sheep off the runway." Moments later, he pushed a second protester, covered that protester's mouth and pulled a banner from his hands. That protester was then escorted out by security.
Kolb apologised after the incident. "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," he said in a statement.
PETA said its action was linked to wool. The group has called on H&M Group to ban wool after an investigation by PETA Asia at a South African wool farm, WWD reported. That allegation about conditions on the farm came from the campaign group.
There were familiar faces in the audience. Actors Sharon Stone, John Boyega, Michelle Williams and Lupita Nyong'o attended the spring show, a presentation of clothes designed for the coming spring season.
What makes this stand out is who stepped in. Guests are usually told to stay seated when protesters reach the runway. Removing demonstrators is normally left to venue security. Kolb, who leads the designers' body, acknowledged that boundary himself.
