Steven Kolb has resigned as CEO and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Kolb, who led the CFDA for two decades, announced his departure Friday in a statement published via Substack. The move came less than a week after he was filmed physically restraining PETA protesters who stormed the runway at a COS Spring 2027 Fashion Week show on Sunday.
“After twenty years leading the CFDA, I have made the difficult decision to step down as CEO and President,” Kolb wrote. “I believe this is the right moment for both me and the organization to begin a new chapter.”
The fashion industry veteran used his farewell message to highlight the organization’s growth during his tenure. “What I am most proud of is the impact we have had on American designers — supporting creativity and helping businesses grow,” he wrote, adding that “none of this was the work of one person.”
Kolb expressed particular gratitude to former CFDA Chairs Diane von Furstenberg, Tom Ford, Thom Browne and Stan Herman, thanking them “for their leadership, partnership and friendship.” He described stepping away after twenty years as “deeply emotional,” while noting he remains “proud” of what was accomplished and “confident in the CFDA’s future.”
The CFDA’s board of directors issued its own statement Friday, praising Kolb as a “dedicated leader and tireless champion of American fashion.” The board emphasized its “respect” for his decision and its gratitude “for his many years of leadership and service to the CFDA and our industry.” The statement concluded by noting that with a “clear mission and dedicated team,” the organization will “carry out the important work ahead.”
The resignation follows Kolb’s announcement Monday that he would take a “voluntary” leave of absence, which he disclosed in an Instagram Stories post addressing the Sunday confrontation. The incident occurred at a COS show held during New York Fashion Week, where PETA activists interrupted the presentation with chants calling for a ban on wool use in the industry.
Footage from the event shows Kolb snatching signs from protesters and covering the mouth of PETA campaigner Mason Melito while backing him into a corner. “We’re not doing this,” Kolb says in the clip. Additional footage shows him grabbing a female protester, covering her mouth, pulling her to the ground, and pinning her down by her wrists with his leg.
Melito told The Post that the protesters intended to file charges over the altercation. “She felt like she was being suffocated,” Melito said of the female protester seen in the footage. “She’s using her body to speak up for the sheep that have no say whatsoever. She is now at urgent care.”
Actress Michelle Williams, the “Brokeback Mountain” star, was among the attendees who witnessed the chaotic scene unfold.
Kolb’s Monday apology acknowledged the severity of his actions. “What happened was completely out of character for me, both personally and as a leader,” he wrote on Instagram Stories. He admitted that viewing the footage himself helped him understand “the reaction they have generated.”
He continued, “I inappropriately restrained the campaigners and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Kolb added that he had “accepted an invitation from PETA to meet and discuss their concerns,” expressing hope “to have the opportunity to apologize in person to the two individuals who did not deserve that treatment.”
H&M, the parent company of COS, said on Wednesday that it would investigate the incident. “The incident at the show should have been prevented from escalating and that is why we are investigating what happened with the teams involved,” the company said in a statement.
The confrontation marked a dramatic turn for Kolb, who had helmed the influential fashion trade organization since 2006. Under his leadership, the CFDA expanded its programming and influence within the American fashion industry, though his final days were overshadowed by the physical altercation that prompted his rapid departure.