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H&M honchos to meet with PETA after wild, caught-on-video fracas at NYFW runway show

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Fickenscher, L. (2026, September 16). H&M honchos to meet with PETA after wild, caught-on-video fracas at NYFW runway show. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/business/hm-to-meet-with-peta-after-fracas-at-nyfw-runway-show/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-16 · by Lisa Fickenscher

Quick Summary

PETA protesters disrupted a COS fashion show during New York Fashion Week when Steven Kolb, CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, forcibly removed a protester from the runway. The incident was caught on video and led to an apology from both COS and Kolb. In response, PETA is requesting a meeting with H&M Group and Kolb to discuss animal welfare concerns in the wool industry. Both parties are now arranging to meet to address these issues directly.
Written by AI on 2026-09-16, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Steven Kolb, CEO and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), physically restrained PETA protesters during a New York Fashion Week event on September 10. Video footage showed Kolb forcefully holding down one protester and covering their mouth while another was pushed away. The incident occurred at a runway show for COS, an H&M-owned brand known for using wool in its designs.

Following the viral video, Kolb apologized and took leave pending internal review by CFDA. On September 15, he officially resigned from his position after two decades with the organization, citing it as "the right moment for both me and the organisation to begin a new chapter." PETA has since requested meetings with H&M and Kolb to discuss animal welfare issues in the wool industry.

The CFDA acknowledged the incident’s severity and launched an investigation. Meanwhile, H&M stated they source animal-derived fibers responsibly, but PETA insists on banning wool from future collections due to perceived cruelty in sheep farming practices.

Written for “Fashion Week Protest Clashes” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Fashion Week Protest Clashes
Entertainment · 8 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 17% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
NBC News
Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 78/100
The Independent
Hedges 2 of 26 claims Outlet record 59/100
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 10 claims Outlet record 66/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different protests at separate fashion events in New York and London.”
South China Morning Post
⚖️ Centre further right than this Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 62/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles describe a protest incident at NYFW involving Steven Kolb, Article B covers Kolb's resignation following the event, which is not the same specific occurrence as the initial incident described in Article A.”
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 16 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes the incident where PETA protesters were restrained at a runway show, while Article B covers Kolb's resignation days after the incident.”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Steven Kolb's actions in restraining PETA protesters at NYFW, Article B focuses on his resignation days after the incident, which is a separate event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
17%
4 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
8
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-16 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16647 article(s) · 36 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Lisa Fickenscher
13 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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Also by Lisa Fickenscher
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 13 articles by Lisa Fickenscher →

Topics

COS H&M Group PETA The Post the Council of Fashion Designers of America

Subjects

PETA ORG · 10× Kolb PERSON · 6× COS ORG · 5× Hermann PERSON · 4× H&M Group ORG · 3× Colley PERSON · 2× H&M ORG · 2× The Post ORG · 2× Daniel Hermann PERSON · 1× Steven Kolb PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Filing charges with law enforcement over the Sunday incident is a consideration, “but the main goal for us is to meet with Kolb and H&M to show them our investigations into the cruel wool industry and we are looking forward to doing just that,” PETA spokesperson Moira Colley said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-16

Claims (24 extracted, 4 hedged)

During the bizarre incident, COS managing director Daniel Hermann helped to restrain a PETA protester as Steven Kolb, chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, yanked her off of the runway in a chaotic scene on Sunday that was caught on video. asserted
that → help → video
Hermann, whose label was staging a runway show inside the WSA Building in Manhattan’s Financial District, assisted Kolb by grabbing the protester’s arm as Kolb pulled her down onto the floor, according to video footage shared exclusively with The Post. Hermann can be seen keeping his hand on the protester’s arm for a few moments as Kolb secured the protester between his legs. uncertain
Kolb → stag → legs
As the viral scuffle unfolded, runway models continued to saunter past, decked out in COS’s upcoming autumn/winter collection. asserted
models → unfold → collection
Kolb then covered with protester’s mouth with his hand to stifle her shouting about the wool industry’s allegedly cruel treatment of sheep during the shearing process. uncertain
Kolb → cover → process
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Hermann on Monday asking for a meeting. asserted
People → send → meeting
Filing charges with law enforcement over the Sunday incident is a consideration, “but the main goal for us is to meet with Kolb and H&M to show them our investigations into the cruel wool industry and we are looking forward to doing just that,” PETA spokesperson Moira Colley said. asserted
Colley → file → that
COS said in a statement to The Post, “the incident at the show should have been prevented from escalating and that is why we are reviewing what happened with the teams involved. asserted
what → say → teams
We are deeply sorry for what our guests, participants, and viewers of the show experienced.” asserted
guests → experience → show
The fashion label added in a statement, “H&M Group has had an ongoing dialogue with PETA over many years, and remain open to continuing that conversation and have therefore accepted the meeting invitation with H&M Group representatives. asserted
Group → add → representatives
We acknowledge the concerns PETA continues to raise regarding wool and animal welfare and welcome the opportunity to discuss this directly.” asserted
PETA → acknowledge → this
In a statement, Kolb said he is “deeply sorry” and that he accepted an invitation from PETA “to discuss their concerns,” adding that he hoped to “apologize in person to the two individuals who did not deserve that treatment.” asserted
who → say → treatment
Colley said that PETA’s protestors “always drop to the ground, never throw punches so to be met with force like that was shocking to us.” asserted
protestors → say → us
“COS claims that its collections are created with a mindful approach, a message that is difficult to reconcile with the images and video that emerged from the event,” according to the PETA letter from Jacqui Sadashige, manager of corporate responsibility. uncertain
that → claim → responsibility
“As peaceful protestors attempted to draw attention to the suffering of sheep in the wool industry, the response was to physically suppress the criticism rather than address the cruelty that prompted it. asserted
that → attempt → it
Still, PETA is known for aggressive tactics, including storming shareholder meetings and protesting outside of Canada Goose stores holding gruesome images of bloodied coyotes whose fur is used as trim on the company’s pricey parkas. asserted
fur → know → parkas
PETA declined to disclose how it infiltrated the COS show, which is by invitation only. asserted
which → decline → invitation
“We had six people at the show,” Colley said. asserted
Colley → have → show
“We have contacts in all corners of the fashion world, insiders who are upset about this cruelty too.” asserted
who → have → cruelty
Its undercover investigations of the wool industry included infiltrating 150 farms on four continents, where it documented “workers punching, kicking, beating, and stomping on sheep, dragging them by their limbs, and leaving them with bloody shearing wounds,” according to the letter sent to Hermann. uncertain
workers → include → Hermann
H&M insists that its wool is ethically sourced. asserted
wool → insist → ?
“The wool we source for our brands, is either certified by Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard or comes from certified recycled sources,” the company said in a statement. asserted
company → source → statement
“H&M Group has been in close contact with Textile Exchange and shares concerns about PETA’s allegations.” asserted
Group → share → allegations
The 2024 investigation claimed that “Matt Lauer’s New Zealand getaway is hell for scared sheep who are flung about, pinned down and cut up,” PETA president Ingrid Newkirk told The Post at the time. asserted
Newkirk → claim → time
A spokesperson for Lauer said he had “absolutely no knowledge of any alleged problems at his property” until The Post reached out for comment. asserted
Post → say → comment
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