US fashion council CEO Kolb resigns after clash with runway show protesters

By Ruchika Khanna Sept 18 (Reuters) — Steven Kolb resigned as head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America on Friday, days after coming under fire for physically restraining animal rights activists at a New York Fashion Week runway show. "After twenty years leading the CFDA, I have made the difficult decision to step down as CEO and President," Kolb said in a post on his Substack. The CFDA, the leading US fashion-industry trade group and organizer of New York Fashion Week, said on Tuesday that Kolb was on leave pending a full review by the council's board, after he said he was taking a voluntary leave. On Sunday, Kolb grabbed at least two activists protesting H&M-owned COS's use of wool during a runway show. He pinned one protester to the ground and covered her mouth with his hand, according to videos viewed that circulated widely online. Kolb apologized on Monday, saying he planned to meet with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which had organized the protest. "There is no justification for physically restraining another person," he said at the time. "Security should have handled the situation, and I should have stepped back." Kolb's physical confronta