Steven Kolb has stepped down as CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, after a video of him physically restraining two animal rights activists at New York Fashion Week went viral. Kolb, who led the organization for twenty years, confirmed the news in a statement."After 20 years leading the CFDA, I have made the difficult decision to step down as CEO and president. I am enormously proud of what we have built together and believe this is the right moment for both me and the organisation to begin a new chapter," he shared.The CFDA has not named an immediate successor. As per a report shared by The Guardian, the organization's board, which includes leading American designers such as Tory Burch, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors, released a statement of their own."We respect Steven's decision to step down and are grateful for his many years of leadership and service to the C.F.D.A. and our industry," the board shared.Inside the New York Fashion Week incident that led to Steven Kolb being placed on leave before his resignation from the CFDA:Steven Kolb attends the Diane von Furstenberg fashion show during New York Fashion Week on September 10, 2026 in New York City - Source: GettyBefore Steven Kolb officially stepped down, the CFDA had placed him on leave on Monday, September 14, 2026, pending a full review of the incident. A spokeswoman for the organization shared a statement at the time."The C.F.D.A. takes this matter very seriously, and as a result, Mr. Kolb will be on leave pending a full review. The C.F.D.A. as an organization is committed to working with dissenting voices to find commonality and is engaged in efforts to move the American fashion industry forward while upholding the values of our membership," the spokeswoman shared.The incident itself took place at the WSA building at 175 Water Street in Manhattan, during New York Fashion Week. A group of animal rights activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals stormed the runway show for Cos, a contemporary fashion brand owned by H&M. A video of the altercation, posted to Instagram by news site Fashionista, quickly spread across the fashion world and beyond.In the footage, Kolb, who is sixty-four years old, is shown shoving a young male protester and placing his hand over the protester's mouth. The male activist was later identified as Mason Melito, a senior campaigner with PETA. The video then shows Kolb pulling a female protester to the ground, using one leg to restrain her as he covers her mouth.From Kolb's public apology to PETA's response:(L-R) Lucien Pagès and Steven Kolb attends the Anna Sui fashion show during New York Fashion Week on September 12, 2026 in New York City - Source: GettySteven Kolb had already addressed the altercation publicly. In an Instagram Stories post on Sunday, he wrote that he had reacted inappropriately to the incident."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.When contacted by People, the CFDA echoed a similar sentiment in their own statement regarding the incident."Mr. Kolb acknowledged fully that he responded inappropriately in the moment and that the matter should have been handled by security. The CFDA agrees that these disruptions should be handled by the security professionals in place," the statement read. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostPETA, meanwhile, took to Instagram to explain what the protesters had been attempting to do at the Cos runway show. As per the organization, the activists were there to"expose the suffering of sheep used for wool."PETA then went a step further, comparing Steven Kolb's treatment of the female activist to what happens to sheep in the wool industry."This animal advocate got to go home, but sheep used for wool end up at the slaughterhouse," PETA added.