Victoria's Secret has been forced to publicly apologise after it was accused of being racist when one of its lingerie models wore a Native American-style headpiece at its runway show in New York last week.

American model *Karlie Kloss *sported a leopard print lingerie ensemble paired with the floor-length headpiece, left.

It sparked outrage from Native American leaders who accused the company of "spitting" on their culture for allowing the piece to be shown in its show.

But Victoria's Secret apologised, saying it had "no intention to offend anyone" and would not be including the outfit during a TV broadcast of the show next month.

Kloss was saddened by the fury her runway appearance caused, also issuing an apology via Twitter.

However, the controversial headpiece has since prompted thousands to jump on the brand's Facebook page to vent their fury.

One user wrote: "How dare you disrspect (sic) native american culture by parading headdress on runway for ur gain thats a disgrace to native american and other culture around the world." Others questioned why Victoria's Secret had apologised but are yet to remove the images from its fan page.