Nike forced to pull 'culturally exploitative' leggings after garment sparks outrage among Polynesians



Nike has been forced to remove a pair of tattoo-style leggings from its range after they were criticised for being culturally exploitative.

The monochrome printed garments have sparked controversy in Australia and New Zealand where residents say the design of the Pro Tattoo Tech Tights is similar to the traditional Samoan Pe'a male tattoo.

New Zealand's ONE News reports that by using the traditionally male print on women's leggings, Nike has offended many people in the Pacific community, who find it to be exploitative in the first place.

The Nike Pro Tattoo Tech collection was unveiled over a month ago and it was noted that they had taken inspiration from the tatau - the traditional tattoos - of Fiji, Samoa, and New Zealand.

An online petition against the leggings was posted in early August on Change.org petition, which described them as a 'direct violation of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific, and is furthermore in violation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples'.

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