The Brazilian jiu-jitsu apparel company HYPERFLY has issued a formal apology and paused its recently announced collaboration with Playboy following intense criticism from the martial arts community.
The partnership, which was revealed on social media earlier this week with images showcasing HYPERFLY’s upcoming Playboy-branded gear, immediately sparked controversy among practitioners, particularly women in the sport.
“We hear you – and we want to extend our deepest apologies to anyone who feels disappointed or let down by this collaboration,” HYPERFLY stated in their public response. “We humbly respect the concerns being voiced and want you to know that this partnership was not entered into lightly.”
The collaboration announcement featured the iconic Playboy bunny logo on jiu-jitsu apparel alongside a promotional date of “04 18 25,” suggesting when the collection would be available.
Community response was swift and overwhelmingly negative. Many women practitioners expressed feeling that the partnership undermined their ongoing struggle for respect in the sport.
“I’m all for women doing what they feel is empowering,” wrote one commenter, “but Playboy has notoriously sexualized women for the benefit of men. We need to teach young women that their value does not depend on what they can provide to men, but what they are capable of themselves.”
Another prominent female practitioner stated: “This sport already struggles with the over-sexualization of its female athletes. Partnering with Playboy—an organisation with a long, documented history of objectifying and exploiting women—is not just tone-deaf, it’s harmful.”
In their apology, HYPERFLY acknowledged these concerns while attempting to explain the reasoning behind the collaboration: “We are aware of Playboy’s past, though, today, Playboy is a brand led and shaped by mostly women, working to rewrite its own narrative – and that evolution is what drew us to the conversation. However, we understand that, for many, this certainly doesn’t change the impact.”
The backlash appears to have influenced HYPERFLY’s decision-making, as they announced: “Because we value this community and everything it stands for, we’ve decided to pause this collaboration for now and take time to reflect on the criticism we’ve received.”
This incident highlights the growing influence of women in combat sports and their push for representation that respects their athletic abilities rather than focusing on appearance. Many commenters pointed out that they had previously been loyal HYPERFLY customers but would reconsider their support following this collaboration.
“Our intention has always been to uplift women, women’s voices, and women’s safety, not harm – and we are committed to doing better,” HYPERFLY concluded in their statement.
The controversy comes at a time when Brazilian jiu-jitsu continues to see rapid growth among female participants worldwide, with many women and girls finding empowerment through the self-defense aspects of the martial art.
