Steven Kolb

Steven Kolb is president and chief executive officer of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), a group of over 500 American fashion womenswear, menswear, jewelry, and accessories designers. He holds a Masters in Public Administration from New York University. In May 2014 Kolb received an honorary doctorate of the Arts from Kendall College of Art and Design at Ferris State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[2]. The Business of Fashion ranks Kolb as one of 500 people shaping the global fashion industry. [3]

Kolb manages the CFDA’s membership, trade association activities, and longstanding philanthropic initiatives such as Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, which raises public awareness and funds for breast cancer research in the U.S. and internationally. Furthermore, he has overseen raising funds for natural disasters such as Fashion for Sandy, which raised funds after Hurricane Sandy and for HIV/AIDS through initiatives such as 7th on Sale.

Kolb works directly with CFDA Board Chair Diane von Furstenberg and the Board of Directors, which is composed of America’s foremost designers, such as Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Ashley Olsen, Prabal Gurung, and Deborah Lloyd]].

One of Kolb’s largest contributions to American fashion has been his leadership role in cultivating the next wave of emerging American fashion talent through programs such as the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund (CVFF) and the CFDA {FASHION INCUBATOR}. Kolb serves as a judge for CVFF and is featured on "The Fashion Fund," an original unscripted series documenting CVFF. Furthermore, under Kolb’s guidance, the annual CFDA Fashion Awards has become the preeminent spotlight on American fashion, even being called the Oscars of Fashion.

Under his direction, the CFDA worked with the Boston Consulting group to conduct an extensive study to evaluate the purpose of New York Fashion Week. The intent of the study was to question the status quo of fashion week and stimulate a dialogue in the American fashion industry.

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