Natasha Oakley 'accused of wearing knock-off designer bangle'

She recently launched a joint online fitness website called The Pilates Class with fellow influencer Jacqui Kingswell. 

But Natasha Oakley’s exciting new venture has been waylaid by a bizarre scandal involving a white bangle. 

As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, the bikini model raised eyebrows last week after she posed for an Instagram selfie to document her at-home Pilates session.  

#Banglegate: Natasha Oakley (pictured) has been accused of wearing a knock-off version of Bala’s iconic weighted bangle on Instagram 

On Natasha’s wrist was a chunky weight bangle – an accessory often used by Pilates enthusiasts to increase the difficulty of their workouts. 

Natasha’s eye-catching accessory quickly sparked backlash, with some fans believing the bangle was actually a knock-off of an original design by fitness brand Bala.   

Natasha’s post, which was originally uploaded to The Pilates Class’ Instagram Stories, has since been deleted.   

Is it a knockoff? As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, the bikini model raised eyebrows last week after she posed for an Instagram selfie to document her at-home Pilates session. A critic re-uploaded her photo with annotations that claimed the bangle was a Bala copy 

Indeed, there appears to be some differences between Natasha’s bangle and the patented Bala design, which has earned a cult following in recent years. 

While the Bala bangle’s design features oblong segments, the segments on Natasha’s bangle appear to be triangular.  

However, the apparent difference between the two designs could simply be a trick of the light, and Natasha could well be wearing an original Bala bangle. 

Hmm: Indeed, there appears to be some differences between Natasha’s bangle and the patented Bala design. While the Bala bangle’s design features oblong segments (right), the segments on Natasha’s bangle appear to be triangular (left) 

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Bala founder Natalie Holloway said she felt ‘disheartened’ about copycats selling knock-offs of her bangles, which retail for $75.00.   

‘To see people come along and just rip us off is disheartening,’ Ms Holloway lamented. 

‘Luckily, customers and true fans of the brand hate to see this, so they always tell us.’ 

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Natasha for comment.  

Luxury: Beloved by Instagram influencers and Pilates enthusiasts alike, the trendy Bala bangle retails for a cool $75.00 per pair 

‘To see people come along and just rip us off is disheartening’: Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Bala founder Natalie Holloway (left) said she felt ‘disheartened’ about copycats selling knock-offs of her bangles. Pictured with husband and co-founder Max  Kislevitz