Overview
- PETA activists entered the COS show at New York Fashion Week and walked the runway while shouting about wool and holding signs alleging sheep abuse.
- Video that circulated widely shows CFDA president and CEO Steven Kolb grabbing protesters, covering their mouths and using his leg to restrain one activist as security removed demonstrators.
- Kolb issued an immediate apology saying he "reacted inappropriately" and should have left the disruption to event security.
- PETA says it will file a police report and seek criminal charges against Kolb, and one protester reported feeling suffocated and sought urgent care after the encounter.
- The incident has amplified debate over wool and other animal-derived materials in fashion, put the CFDA and COS’s parent H&M Group under reputational pressure, and raised questions about security and protest handling at runway events.