Converse apologizes and pulls sneaker ad that critics said included racist imagery, tell me about this news in (https://www.courant.com/2026/09/20/converse-apologizes-and-pulls-sneaker-ad-that-critics-said-included-racist-imagery/)

Converse issued an apology and removed an advertisement from its global campaign after facing intense backlash from critics and social media users who pointed out that the visuals resembled Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and lynching imagery.

The Advertisement and the Backlash

The advertisement was part of a promotional campaign for Converse’s Chuck 70 X sneakers and featured South Korean singer Karina from the K-pop group aespa.

In the photo, Karina was shown wearing a long white skirt beneath a star-shaped spotlight while holding a pair of black high-top sneakers. Viewers and critics quickly noted that the lighting, shadows, and silhouette created an outline resembling a pointed white KKK hood, while the dangling shoes and composition evoked the imagery of a hanging body or lynching scene. Concern and criticism escalated rapidly after uncropped versions of the image circulated across platforms such as X, Threads, and Instagram.

The controversy also resurfaced a separate, recent promotional photo from a Converse collaboration with the brand Palmes, which depicted shoes hanging from tree branches. Online commenters argued that appearing alongside each other, both campaigns carried deeply disturbing racial undertones.

Converse’s Response

Converse, a subsidiary of Nike, pulled the ad from its official social media platforms and issued a formal statement apologizing for the campaign:

“We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong. 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.”