Converse apologizes and pulls sneaker ad that critics said included racist imagery
The company apologized and said it removed the image after critics said the lighting and shoes evoked racist violence, prompting boycott calls.
- Converse apologized on Friday after social media users criticized a campaign featuring K-pop star KARINA of Aespa, alleging the imagery resembled Ku Klux Klan hoods and lynching scenes.
- Viewers noted the composition showed KARINA in a white skirt holding extra sneakers, creating shapes resembling a pointed KKK hood while shoes appeared to dangle like legs.
- The Ku Klux Klan formed roughly 160 years ago and historically used white hoods as symbols of racial terror. This year has seen 10 reported cases of Black Americans found hanging from trees.
- Converse promised to "do better," removing the photo from official channels; however, the image remained on the brand's Threads account as of Friday, September 18, 2026.
- Other major brands faced similar advertising scrutiny: Target apologized for a Halloween costume featuring Blackface imagery, and Pepsi retracted a post critics interpreted as trivializing sexual consent.
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The company removed the offending ad and apologized for what happened.
Converse Tagged 'A Dying Brand' as It Gets Accused of Exploiting Black History With Alleged 'Klan Robe' and Lynching Imagery
Converse removed a Chuck 70 X advertisement featuring aespa star Karina and apologised after viewers said its imagery evoked KKK robes and lynching, claims the company has not confirmed.
An advertisement featuring K-pop star Karina has been removed after critics linked the image to the Ku Klux Klan.
"We apologize. We understand why this image is deeply disturbing, and acknowledge that we made a mistake," the shoe company said.
After a controversial advertising campaign, the shoe manufacturer Converse has consequences: Chief Aaron Cain has the internal testing processes investigated. Criticism was sparked by a motif that was associated with the Ku-Klux clan in social networks.
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