The Top 9 Catwalk Crashers of All Time, Ranked by Their Runway Walks

Two PETA protesters fiercely strutted onto Coach’s catwalk Thursday, holding their own against the professional models.

By Lauren Tousignant | September 8, 2023 | 9:15pm

Beauty Style

Nothing spices up a fashion week runway like protesters crashing a catwalk—usually naked or topless—and making a scene in the name of animal rights, climate change, or publicity. (Two of which are causes worth making a scene over!) New York Fashion Week officially started Friday, but there were a handful of events and shows leading up to Friday’s kick-off. On Thursday night, Coach held one such show at the New York Public Library, and a couple of these special, unexpected guests showed up.

Two PETA protesters strutted out onto Coach’s stage looking like they were a planned part of the show. One wore a stylish, flowy, light brown skirt and top and held up a sign that read “Coach: Leather Kills.” The other was naked and covered in body paint to resemble muscles and intestines, with the same “leather kills” message painted across their chest. And honestly? Their walks were pretty fucking fierce. Of course, security quickly whisked them off the stage.

“PETA is shaking up Coach’s catwalk to drive home the message that leather belongs in the annals of history, not in designers’ current collections,” PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman said in a press release following the show.

I support the message. I support PETA. And I also support any protesters who can seamlessly snake their way onto a runway and hold their own alongside the professionals. It’s a skill in itself! Of all the other runway crashers in the history of fashion, here are the protesters with the most impressive catwalks.

#9 - PETA protesters at Dior’s Fall/Winter 2003 show

Unfortunately, this protester’s strategy was to just jump onto the runway. She barely walked at all, and it wasn’t even a full three seconds before guards grabbed her off the stage. She almost didn’t even get to hold up her “Fur Shame” sign but did manage to unfold it at the last second. A great and worthy cause, but a 1 out of 10 walk.

#8 - The streaker at Prabal Gurung’s Fall/Winter show in 2014

Vitalii Sediuk is apparently a famous Ukrainian who pulls stunts like this all the time, typically on red carpets. He was also the guy who physically picked up Gigi Hadid during Milan Fashion Week in 2016, which must have felt terrifying. So, this guy really sucks. This particular catwalk crash was amusing and a little fun...but it was definitely not a protest, so 0 out of 10. The only reason it’s No. 8 and not No. 9 is because I love that he wore a cape with his thong.

#7 - Protesters at Nina Ricci’s Spring show in 2013

These two FEMEN (a radical feminist group from Ukraine) definitely did not blend in. They did, however, manage a slight gallop onto the runway (and the protester on the right got one of the models to hold up their arm) and successfully held a pose at the top before being taken away by security. I’ll say a solid 5 out of 10.

#6 - PETA protesters at Victoria’s Secret 2002 Show

Here is maybe the most infamous PETA Fashion Week protest of all time. I give their walk a 3, since it wasn’t so much a walk as a little jog. The most important thing here, though, is that their protest—signs reading “Gisele: Fur Scum” in response to Gisele’s contract with furrier Blackgama—actually worked. In 2018, Gisele told Vogue:

“Suddenly it dawned on me. I was in the hamster wheel: I’m just going to go out there and be a good girl and do what my agent tells me to do. What do I know? It wasn’t until that shock—it stopped me in my tracks. They sent me all these videos. I wasn’t aware of what was happening, and I was devastated. So I said, ‘Listen, I’m not doing fur campaigns.’ It put me in the driver’s seat, finally. The universe comes to you and says, ‘Hello, maybe you should notice this.’ You need to be responsible for the choices you make.”

So yeah, 3 out of 10 on the walk, but 100 out of 10 for the activism!

#5 - The comedian who crashed Chanel and was intercepted by Gigi Hadid in 2019

Ok, this was fairly impressive. This woman, comedian and YouTuber Marie Benoliel, hopped onto the runway in an actual Chanel suit from 1986 that belonged to her mother and managed to walk in-step with the rest of the models for...honestly, kind of a while before Gigi Hadid stepped in and escorted her away.

“We’re talking about clothing. It has to be joyful, it has to be funny, it has to make people happy,” she later told the New York Times. She also called Gigi “rude.” The walk, length of walk, and commitment to the bit get a 9 out of 10.

#4 - Climate protester at Dior in 2020

In 2020, an Extinction Rebellion protester walked the entirety of Dior’s runway with a banner that read “We Are All Fashion Victims.” She did such a good job blending in that, according to the New York Times, even Dior’s chief executive thought it was maybe just a part of the finale. 10 out of 10 for the walk! But 2 out of 10 for the actual protest, since no one knew what was going on.

#3 - Sacha Baron Cohen as Bruno crashes Prada in 2008

It’s maybe a little unfair to include Sacha Baron Cohen in this list since he was crashing as his fashion alter-ego, Austrian model Brüno Gehard—but it was pretty hilarious. He wore a velcro suit, attached a bunch of random pieces of clothing to himself, and delivered an impressive, Balenciaga-esque walk before it was even called The Balenciaga Walk. It was fun! We’ll give him a 7!

#2 - Climate demonstrator at Louis Vuitton in 2021

This was a beautiful walk and a perfect catwalk protest. Marie Cohuet, a then-26-year-old climate activist with Extinction Rebellion, somehow shimmied her way into the model lineup to walk the entire length of the runway, while holding up a banner that read “Overconsumption=Extinction.” She had flare, rhythm, and was on pace with the models. She even managed to hit a couple poses and started walking back before security grabbed her. 20 out of 10!

#1 - The literal cat at Dior’s show in 2019

This was not the first cat to crash a catwalk; a cat crashed a show in Istanbul in 2018, where it just sat and licked its asshole. But this cat had poise, grace, direction, and confidence. Not only did she walk against the stream of models, she did so with conviction and aplomb. Honestly, this cat is inspiring. It remains the greatest catwalk crash of all time. 10 out of 10. Zero notes.