Converse forced to apologise for ‘atrociously racist’ ad likened to KKK imagery

Converse has been heavily criticised for its imagery in a new ad campaign (Picture: Converse) Converse has issued an apology after widespread backlash to its latest ad campaign, with the imagery compared to that of the Ku Klux Klan. The trainer brand was thrust into controversy after images were released from the global Chuck 70 X campaign, featuring K-pop star Karina of the girl group Aespa. Photos showed her holding a pair of black sneakers, standing in the centre of an illuminated star that represents the Converse logo. The 26-year-old singer wears a white satin skirt, with the lighting and shadows creating a triangle shape on the fabric, which many have said makes it appear like a pointed hood, with the shoes dangling underneath. In a second image, two models are climbing a tree, one standing on a ladder and hanging a pair of Converse from a branch by its laces. This was shared on the Converse Malaysia Instagram account earlier this month as part of the Converse x Palmes campaign for the Jack Purcell PDM collection. People have likened the imagery to the KKK and lynching (Picture: Converse) As the snaps began doing the rounds on social media, users quickly criticised Converse for what was branded an ‘atrociously racist’ campaign, saying that visuals conveyed lynching symbolism. @LeeMerrittesq wrote on X was appalled that ‘someone signed off on this’, arguing that Converse’s apology ‘doesn’t undo what got past legal, marketing, and leadership at every step’. ‘Even if the intent was unintentional, the tone deafness of the entire campaign is shocking’, @unique56301 wrote, calling the images ‘a slap in the face’. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. @narindertweets branded the ad ‘dreadful’ and ‘disgusting’, while @LaPistolaDulce explained that the matter is ‘bigger than poor taste’. ‘Whether that imagery was intentional or not, I cannot understand how something with those visual associations made it through concept development, photography, editing, marketing, executive review, and final approval without someone stopping and saying, “Do you see what this looks like?”,’ she penned. ‘This is bigger than poor taste. It is an appalling failure to recognise or adequately safeguard against imagery inseparable from generations of racial violence, terror, intimidation, hate, and trauma that did not magically disappear when the history books turned the page.’ The shoe brand was also criticised for showing two models hanging sneakers from a tree (Picture: Converse) @rabbitSZN2 added that simply calling it ‘just a shoe ad’ is ‘not a defence’, and @KW33NSOHI9H declared it ‘definitely the most racist ad of the season’. Other adjectives used to describe the marketing were ‘abhorrent’, ‘unfathomable’, and ‘repugnant’. In the aftermath, the images were eventually removed from the brand’s socials, and a statement was shared with Footwear News. ‘We’re sorry,’ a spokesperson for the Nike-owned company began. ‘We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognise that we got this wrong.’ They continued: ‘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.’ The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), which began in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee, is an American far-right, white supremacist group. Wearing white robes and pointed hoods to conceal their faces and evoke fear, they used beatings, lynchings (hangings), burnings, and other violent methods against African Americans and later Jews, Catholics, and immigrants. Following several eras and fights against civil rights, today the hate group is broken into smaller divisions. Racially motivated hangings also still happen and are often misclassified as suicides to avoid police investigations. Earlier this year, the civil rights organisation JULIAN published a report titled A Crimson Record. The documents said that more than 70 suspected modern-day lynchings happened between 2000 and 2025 across seven Southern states. Arrow MORE: Katie Price models in OnlyFans show days after confirming Lee Andrews split Arrow MORE: From The Body Shop to H&M and Linzi – here’s 25 items our shopping expert wants to buy this weekend Arrow MORE: Oxford United apologise over ‘United 93’ shirt release around 9/11