NYFW descends into chaos as fashion exec forced to dramatically restrain protesters during runway show
New York Fashion Week descended into chaos after a fashion executive was forced to dramatically restrain protesters during a runway show.
Models had taken to the catwalk for the COS fall-winter 2026 collection on Sunday when the disruption occurred.
Protesters from animal rights group PETA suddenly emerged holding placards and chanting against the brand owned by Swedish retailer H&M.
Amid the anarchy, Steven Kolb, CEO and President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), took it upon himself to physically restrain two of the activists.
In a video shared to Instagram by news site Fashionista, Kolb could be seen pushing a male protester away from the runway, pinning him into a corner and covering his mouth.
The male protester was then escorted out by security guards as he continued to shout in the faces of models.
Elsewhere, Kolb also tackled a female protester who was shouting to ‘protect sheep, get wool off the runway.’
He grabbed both her arms and pushed her to the floor before restraining her with his legs and covering her mouth.
New York Fashion Week descended into chaos after a fashion executive was forced to dramatically restrain protesters during a runway show
The models continued with the show despite the anarchy with many of the shocked attendees recording the scenes on their phones.
Sharon Stone, Michelle Williams and Lupita Nyong’o were reportedly among the crowd witnessing the clash.
Kolb has since addressed the altercation in an Instagram Story on Sunday.
‘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 wrote.
The fashion guru reportedly opted not to attend Brandon Maxwell’s runway show as planned, CNN reported.
PETA has since told the Daily Mail: ‘CFDA boss Kolb reacted aggressively to peaceful protesters, thereby endorsing PETA’s complaint that the fashion industry is unthinkingly violent.
‘Perhaps due to internal criticism, he has apologized for his behavior and now PETA will explore a meeting with him and ask him to watch footage from our 17 exposés of the wool industry showing sheep being punched, kicked, and cut to ribbons for wool in the hope that he’ll realize something must be done.’
Models had taken to the catwalk for the COS fall-winter 2026 collection on Sunday when the disruption occurred
Amid the anarchy, Steven Kolb, CEO and President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), took it upon himself to physically restrain two of the activists
The male protester was later identified as Mason Melito, a senior campaigner with PETA, according to the New York Times.
He told the outlet that he was ‘not physically harmed’ but found the incident ‘shocking.’
Melito said that the animal rights organization will be filing a police report against Kolb.
The Daily Mail has reached out to H&M Group and CFDA for comment.
