Overview
- Video released by PETA shows CFDA president and CEO Steven Kolb grabbing at least two demonstrators who disrupted COS’s runway and covering a protester’s mouth during the show on Sunday, Sept. 13.
- Kolb apologized, called his reaction inappropriate, and the CFDA announced he is on voluntary leave while the organization conducts a full review of the incident.
- PETA said its activists will file a police report and are considering criminal charges, even as its leaders invited Kolb to meet and review evidence from a months‑long campaign about alleged sheep abuse in wool supply chains.
- The protest targeted COS and parent H&M Group over footage from PETA Asia accusing some South African wool operations of animal abuse; H&M has said it aims to source certified or non‑animal wool by its stated timelines.
- The episode puts legal, reputational and policy pressure on the CFDA and brands to clarify how protests are handled, how wool certifications like the Responsible Wool Standard or NATIVA are vetted, and whether industry sourcing rules should change.