Protest at NYFW Resulted in Physical Confrontation
During a runway event on September 13, Steven Kolb, the leader of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, confronted two protesters from PETA, physically restraining them.
This took place at the COS show at New York Fashion Week, and footage of the event quickly went viral on social media.
As models showcased the COS Fall/Winter 2026 collection, several activists from PETA appeared, brandishing signs and chanting against the brand, which is a subsidiary of H&M. In response, Kolb was seen covering the mouth of a male protester while also restraining a female activist.
🚨 THIS JUST HAPPENED AT NYFW!
A woman who crashed the NYFW COS runway, part of @HM group, to expose the suffering of sheep used for wool was grabbed and restrained, with her mouth covered, by Steven Kolb, @CFDA CEO and President. pic.twitter.com/Gga9VWWmSz
— PETA (@peta) September 13, 2026
According to CNN, Kolb was seen pushing away Mason Melito, identified as the male protester, while covering his mouth with his hands.
He then took down a female activist who was shouting “get wool off the runway” and subdued her on the ground, again covering her mouth. Attendees appeared shocked by the unfolding chaos.
Melito, 22, remarked, “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,” as reported by CNN.
The CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Steve Kolb, was filmed wrestling with and smothering the faces of PETA activists during a New York Fashion Week show, where protesters demanded an end to the use of wool on runways. pic.twitter.com/Y0bd9n0Xei
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) September 14, 2026
PETA announced plans to file a police report and consider pursuing criminal charges, though Melito mentioned, “we are just considering our options right now,” per CNN.
Kolb later addressed the incident via a post on Instagram Stories. “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 stated, according to CNN.
