New Delhi: The models kept walking as Council of Fashion Designers of America CEO Steven Kolb struggled with protesters on the floor beside the runway. At a COS show in New York on Sunday, Kolb was filmed grabbing protesters, taking away their signs and covering their mouths as they shouted against the use of wool.
One protester was pinned to the floor as the show continued around them.
“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,” Kolb later admitted that he should not have stepped in himself.
The confrontation has since become a much bigger problem for New York’s fashion establishment. The CFDA has placed Kolb on leave while it reviews what happened. PETA filed a police report over the incident and will be talking to its lawyers. Kolb has apologised and said he plans to seek professional help and meet the animal-rights group.
The protestors were targeting COS, the Swedish brand owned by H&M Group, over its use of wool. PETA has been campaigning against H&M’s wool sourcing after releasing an investigation into South African wool operations. The organisation says the investigation showed sheep being kicked, beaten and injured during shearing. H&M responded that it sources wool from farms certified to animal-welfare standards, including the Responsible Wool Standard and NATIVA.
“Today’s actions show how top people in fashion use violence to silence people who expose how sheep are beaten, bloodied, and violently killed for scarves and sweaters,” said PETA Founder Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is calling on H&M and COS to ban wool from their collections and is urging everyone to shop elsewhere until they do.”
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Cost of wool, animal cruelty
PETA activists entered the New York show carrying signs accusing the fashion industry of animal cruelty. Reports said six protesters took part in the action, with several reaching the runway before security removed them. Their message was to stop the use of wool in clothing.
PETA’s campaign followed an investigation by its Asia arm into a South African farm linked, according to the organisation, to the NATIVA certification system. Footage released by PETA showed workers handling sheep violently and animals being left with cuts after shearing.
PETA has released 17 investigations into more than 150 wool operations in seven countries across four continents, finding cruelty and violence even at farms that describe themselves as “ethical” or “responsible”. The organisation said such labels can mislead customers.
The incident also comes just as the CFDA has introduced a ban on animal fur across the Official New York Fashion Week Schedule. Animal-rights groups have welcomed the move, although the ban does not include wool.
For Kolb, the decision to physically intervene turned what could have been another protest during Fashion Week into a confrontation involving one of the industry’s most senior figures. The CFDA has now said he is on leave, pending a full review.
“The violence towards the activists today shows no concern for human beings, so imagine how little regard they have for sheep,” PETA said.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)