<\/p>\n
\n\tSteven Kolb, who has been chief executive officer and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America for two decades, has found himself in the center of the biggest story of New York Fashion Week.<\/p>\n
\n\tFollowing news Monday that Kolb has been put on leave by the CFDA board, WWD spoke to designers, colleagues and a legal expert about what this means for a potential return and the future of the organization. As reported, Kolb physically restrained two PETA protesters at the Cos fashion show Sunday afternoon \u2014 who were protesting using sheep\u2019s wool on the runway. Later that afternoon, Kolb said that he reacted \u201cinappropriately\u201d and should have let the security team handle the situation.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe situation was caught on video and spread widely on social media and throughout the industry. Cos is a division of H&M Group.<\/p>\n
\n\tKolb posted a lengthy apology on Instagram Stories on Monday, which said in part, \u201cMy actions were wrong and I am deeply sorry. I take full responsibility for my actions. I apologize to them and to everyone who witnessed the incident. There is no justification for physically restraining another person. Security should have handled the situation, and I should have stepped back. Nothing about the circumstances excuses my actions\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tPETA, which originally said Sunday it planned to file a police report and criminal charges against Kolb, on Tuesday appeared to be trying to defuse the controversy. \u201cWe went to the police station to memorialize the incident and found out that is not how it works in New York City, so we reported the chain of events to our attorneys,\u201d it said. \u201cRight now we look forward to sitting down with Kolb and showing footage from our 17 undercover investigations of sheep being beaten and left bloody for wool so he can see why so many people are calling for it to be left off the runway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tPETA president Tracy Reiman sent a letter to Kolb on Monday, extending an olive branch and offering to meet, as reported.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tA protester on the runway at the Cos fashion show.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGilbert Flores\/WWD<\/p>\n
\n\tStan Herman, the designer and a CFDA board member, said Tuesday, \u201cI hired Steven 20 years ago, so he\u2019s my guy. It\u2019s an unfortunate situation which will work out beautifully by the board.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tWhile he couldn\u2019t divulge what exactly went on at the board meeting discussing Kolb\u2019s actions, he said they are working it out. He said they were very much in unison. \u201cSome people are more perturbed than others. He\u2019s done a very good job for 20 years, and to wipe away 20 years is an unfortunate situation.\u201d He said it\u2019s unreal \u201chow your life can change so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI\u2019m hoping this will come out with a good ending,\u201d said Herman.<\/p>\n
\n\tTracy Reese, who is also on the CFDA board and is the founder and creative director of Hope for Flowers by Tracy Reese, said, \u201cI think all of our hearts are super heavy. It\u2019s been challenging. The team at CFDA is so amazing, and a lot of that is a credit to Steven, and they\u2019re a really strong team, they\u2019ll be able to carry out all the work that\u2019s in play.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cObviously we have a heavy slate of events and responsibilities through the end of the year. But they are always ready to meet the challenges to come. We\u2019re really all in support mode, whatever we can do to support the organization. It\u2019s not just about Steven, it\u2019s about American fashion and what that means to the world and to the country and New York, and all the above. We\u2019re just trying to keep moving forward and delivering on everything that\u2019s been promised,\u201d said Reese.<\/p>\n
\n\tAsked if Kolb would be on a long leave, she said, \u201cIt depends. It\u2019s hard to say. There\u2019s a lot that needs to be determined. It\u2019s early days. All of that is being worked out. [CFDA chairman] Thom Browne\u2019s show is today, so it\u2019s a crazy week for this to happen,\u201d said Reese. She said there were board meetings on Monday night and Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs for who will ultimately make the decision, Reese said, \u201cIt will be a combination of the board of directors and legal advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tReese continued about Kolb. \u201cHe\u2019s been tremendously supportive of New York fashion, American fashion, and so many amazing causes that CFDA has been instrumental supporting and funding. That\u2019s huge. What happened was so insane and unfortunate and we\u2019re all spinning, and it\u2019s just not the person that we know,\u201d said Reese. \u201cAnd I think he probably feels the same way.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cEveryone\u2019s just bewildered and a lot of people are feeling bad and hurt, but the work is what happens going forward. There are some things still being determined. Our job is to support the team at CFDA, and make sure all the programming continues beautifully, and these [CFDA] awards go off seamlessly. There are so many things coming up. It does give you a view into the incredible breadth of the job,\u201d said Reese.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tA protester on the runway at the Cos fashion show.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGilbert Flores\/WWD<\/p>\n
\n\tWould they name someone else as interim CEO? \u201cWe\u2019ll see, there\u2019s a lot of discussion going on and it\u2019s a tumultuous week. More to come,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\n\tDiane von Furstenberg, who has worked closely with Kolb when she was chairwoman of the CFDA, wasn\u2019t at Monday night\u2019s board meeting, although she\u2019s on the board. \u201cI think it\u2019s so sad. Steven is completely vegan. He won\u2019t put a fish on his plate. He fought with the board so that we\u2019d have no fur on the catwalk. This is just unfortunate. He wanted to defend the brand. I\u2019m not excusing him. The first thing I said is, \u2018you have to apologize.\u2019 But it hurts me,\u201d said von Furstenberg.<\/p>\n
\n\tFern Mallis, a fashion consultant who was executive director of the CFDA from 1991 to 2001, said, \u201cThe whole situation is unfortunate. I hope Steven comes through this. It was very out of character. In my opinion, the whole fault of the event was the lack of proper security. For 20 years and beyond, we\u2019ve had Citadel Security. They trained all of their security to deal with protesters \u2014\u00a0and god knows we\u2019ve had our share of them with PETA \u2014 they always handle it professionally and quickly.\u201d She said she doesn\u2019t think there was enough security at the show. \u201cThere was one person who escorted that first guy out, so why didn\u2019t he run to that woman when Steven stood up?\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tA protester on the runway at the Cos fashion show.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGilbert Flores\/WWD<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s sad. I feel bad for Steven and the whole industry. It\u2019s tarnished the epic event of fashion week. We\u2019ve survived many things. We will survive this as well as an industry. It\u2019s unfortunate that it happened,\u201d said Mallis.<\/p>\n
\n\tSusan Scafidi, professor of law at Fordham Law School and the founder and academic director of the Fashion Law Institute, said, \u201cHe [Kolb] apologized. It is serious. But he also has 20 years at the CFDA of dealing with very difficult individuals and situations. So I\u2019m sure they will have a serious conversation as they clearly have, and will take everything into account.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAsked whether she feels Kolb should keep his job after he is rehabilitated, she said, \u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to say. I do think it\u2019s important to have the results of a full investigation. I\u2019ve known Steven a long time. There are people who have known him and spent even more close time with him and find this very out of character. I don\u2019t think of him as an aggressive person, a violent person. I would say Steven is relatively conflict-averse. I work in law. We do not shy away from conflict. One of the things I think of about Steven is he does not like conflict.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cObviously he would have to tell you what was on his mind, but to me, it was an instinct to defend fashion week,\u201d said Scafidi.<\/p>\n
\n\tShe said she read Kolb\u2019s Substack from the day before it happened where he pulled back the curtain on fashion week. \u201cHe actually noted in his Substack that he had been over the years screamed at, threatened, hung up on. He\u2019s used to a degree of aggression and frustration around fashion week, and this was perhaps in the moment during the show just a bridge too far,\u201d said Scafidi.<\/p>\n
\n\tScafidi said Kolb has talked about retiring and he may decide at some point he wants to do that. \u201cI would not be surprised if there\u2019s a vein of sentiment among designers, in particular, of thank you for defending us,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to put your dreams and your livelihood on the line, and present a show to buyers and editors. Months of work go into that and then it\u2019s disrupted in this way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\n\tFrom the legal perspective, PETA said they were going to file a police report against Kolb. \u201cIt\u2019s in New York. There is no crime of assault unless an individual is physically harmed. So unless one of the protesters is alleging they were harmed, probably the worst he could be charged with is disorderly conduct, basically the charge of getting in a bar fight, as long as nobody\u2019s harmed. Interestingly that\u2019s the same exact charge that could be brought against the protesters: disorderly conduct plus trespass. And it is the right of a private property owner, in this case the building owner, working as security representing that building owner to peacefully remove as someone who is trespassing.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cNo, you may only use reasonable force. You can\u2019t escalate. If they pull out a gun, you can pull out a gun. Bet if they don\u2019t, you\u2019re not supposed to use any kind of unreasonable force. We saw the images of security walking the protesters out afterwards. That is absolutely par for the course. So I think the threat to file a police report and ask this to be pursued criminally is probably not a serious threat because in fact, disorderly conduct is not even a crime. It\u2019s a violation. It doesn\u2019t result in a criminal record,\u201d said Scafidi. \u201cThe only other thing, again, and this would only happen if someone is alleging they were harmed, is some kind of civil action against Steven and\/or the CFDA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBut she said it\u2019s hard to tell if anyone was harmed. \u201cThere was no blood on the floor, and they looked like they walked out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\n\tAs for the letter from PETA offering an olive branch, Scafidi said, \u201cThis was a bid for attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tA Cos spokesperson said Tuesday, \u201cWe are deeply sorry about the incident that occurred in connection with our AW26 show on 13 September. The priority for us and the event\u2019s security team was always the safety of all guests, participants and colleagues in attendance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tCos\u2019s managing director and director of the house Daniel Herrmann was seated next to Kolb during the fashion show.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWhen it comes to PETA\u2019s allegations on wool sourced by H&M Group, we can share that we only source animal-serviced fibers from certified farms and, where possible, from recycled sources. All virgin wool and mohair used in our products come from farms certified by the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) and the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS). Both third-party certification systems are owned and governed by Textile Exchange,\u201d said the Cos spokesperson.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFollowing the investigations carried out by the certification body into PETA\u2019s allegations related to mohair and wool farms, licenses for one mohair and one wool farm have been suspended, and these farms are no longer permitted to sell certified materials.\u201d <\/p>\n
#Steven #Kolbs #CFDA #Leave #Sparks #Debate #Designers #Legal #Expert #Weigh<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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