Converse pulls sneaker advertisement after critics liken imagery to KKK and lynching

Converse has pulled a global advertisement for its new Chuck 70 X sneaker and issued a public apology after social media users pointed out that the imagery bore a striking and disturbing resemblance to a Ku Klux Klan hood and a lynching.

The photo, which was posted to the company’s Instagram account, was part of an international marketing campaign featuring Karina, a singer in the South Korean K-pop group Aespa. In the image, Karina is shown wearing a flowing cream skirt while standing on a star-shaped spotlight, holding a pair of black high-top trainers by their laces.

Online critics quickly pointed out how the elements of the photograph came together. The star-shaped lighting tapered the white fabric of the skirt into a sharp, pointed triangle resembling a KKK hood, while the black sneakers dangling below looked like a body hanging from a noose.

The backlash was immediate and widespread across Instagram, TikTok, and Threads.

"That's a lynching, yes? ... AND a Klan robe," the actress Yvette Nicole Brown wrote in response to the image.

Stephanie Schwartz, a photographer based in Chicago, posted on Threads that the composition could not have been an accident. "Shadow, light, and composition. Every photographer can tell you, whoever did this ad knew EXACTLY what they were doing," she wrote.

In a statement, Converse apologised and said it was working to scrub the image from the internet.

"We're sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong," the company said. "We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared. This should not have happened, and we will do better."

Critics, however, noted that Converse did not post the apology directly to its main social media accounts, choosing instead to send the statement to reporters.

The controversy comes at a difficult time for Converse and its parent company, Nike, which bought the brand in 2003. Converse has been struggling with a sharp decline in sales, with revenues plummeting by 31% to 32% year-over-year. Nike itself is trading at a 12-year low, was recently removed from the S&P 100 index, and has lost around 78% of its market value since peaking in 2021. The Oregon-based parent company has also been preparing for major layoffs and restructuring at Converse's headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.

Adding to the anger was a second, separate Converse campaign released around the same time. Created in partnership with the Copenhagen-based brand Palmes, that advertisement featured a person standing on a ladder next to a tree, slinging a pair of sneakers over a branch. Commentators pointed out that having two separate campaigns featuring hanging motifs within the same product launch window made the "oversight" explanation difficult to accept.

Many argued that a multi-billion-dollar American company should have internal checks to prevent such imagery from ever being published. Critics pointed out that while the creative team behind the shoot was based in South Korea, the final campaign would have required approval from American executives at Converse's Boston headquarters and Nike's head office in Oregon.