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Converse Apologizes and Removes Ad Users Said Evoked KKK and Lynching Imagery

The apology follows social media outrage that the image resembled a white pointed hood with dangling feet, prompting calls for a full accounting of who made and approved the campaign.

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An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows A person wearing a white dress and black Converse shoes stands on a white background with a star-shaped light. Another pair of Converse shoes hangs from the person's hand, and two more pairs are on the floor, Image 2 shows Man on a wooden ladder holding shoes over his head, another person in a tree behind him
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Overview

  • Converse said on Friday, Sept. 18, that it had removed a Karina image from its channels, apologized for the error, and was working to remove the asset wherever it appeared.
  • Users on Threads, X and Instagram circulated an uncropped Karina ad for the Chuck 70 X that many said looked like a Ku Klux Klan hood because of lighting and cropping, with the held shoes read as dangling feet.
  • A separate Converse x Palmes image showing shoes hanging from a tree was shared alongside the Karina photo and was reported to have been shot in Italy, deepening critics’ concerns about the campaign’s visual choices.
  • Reporters found archived copies and at least one live post on platform accounts after Converse said it had removed the image, and public figures and a lawmaker have demanded transparency about the ad’s origin and approval chain.
  • The backlash spotlights how images that echo U.S. racial terror can travel through global campaigns and raises questions about multinational creative oversight, brand reputation and the steps Converse or Nike may take next.