Steven Kolb, the chief executive of the CFDA, physically restrained two Peta protesters during the Cos show at New York fashion week. After video of the confrontation spread widely, he said he had inappropriately restrained the activists and took leave before the CFDA placed him on leave.
On Sunday afternoon, Mason Melito took a front-row seat at the Cos show and joined four other activists in planning a brief disruption over the use of wool by the Swedish brand. Kolb first restrained Andrija Barak, snatched a poster from her hands and covered her mouth with his hand, then restrained Melito after Barak freed herself.
Cos show video
A video of the incident captured by Fashionista went viral, turning the protest into a public problem for the CFDA chief within hours. Melito later described the scene as “a scary one” and said Kolb “just went completely rogue and decided to take matters into his own hands.”
Kolb addressed the confrontation on Monday in an Instagram statement. He said he had “inappropriately restrained” two activists, that “there is no justification” for his actions, and that “Frankly, I don’t recognise that person. As a result, I am taking a voluntary leave from work and meeting with a professional to ensure it never happens again.”
The CFDA review
On Tuesday, the CFDA placed Kolb on leave pending a full review. The organization said it is committed to working with dissenting voices to find commonality and is engaged in efforts to move the American fashion industry forward while upholding the values of its membership, including respectful engagement with differing viewpoints.
The practical next step is internal review, not an immediate public resolution. Kolb has already stepped away, and the CFDA now has to decide what consequences, if any, follow from a restraint that was caught on video and then acknowledged by the man who did it.
