Converse removed an advertisement for their Chuck 70 X sneaker after it was criticized for resembling Ku Klux Klan imagery. One image showed a person wearing white clothing holding the shoes in such a way that social media users interpreted them as evoking a hanging or lynching scenario. Converse issued an apology and stated they would remove the ad from all channels, acknowledging the distress caused by the image. The controversy erupted online with Black activists and photographers expressing deep concern over racial insensitivity, though the company denied intentional racist intent in its design.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Converse, an American footwear brand owned by Nike, pulled an advertisement from its Instagram account after social media users accused it of evoking Ku Klux Klan imagery. The ad featured K-pop singer Karina holding a pair of black high-top sneakers under a star-shaped spotlight while wearing a long white skirt, which critics said resembled a KKK hood and the dangling feet of a lynching victim. Converse issued an apology on August 27, stating, "This should not have happened and we will do better." The company removed the image from its channels and is working to remove it from other platforms where it appeared. CEO Aaron Cain promised to review internal processes and make necessary changes in a memo to employees seen by Bloomberg News.
Written for “Converse Ad Controversy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.
The footwear and apparel company Converse said this past week that it had taken down a sneaker advertisement that set off intense backlash as social media users said it was evocative of Ku Klux Klan imagery.
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it → say → imagery
One image in the campaign featured the bottom half of a person wearing a white garment, which commentators likened to a Klan robe, while the figure holds a pair of black sneakers.
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figure → feature → sneakers
The lighting is such that the shoes, critics said, appear to be dangling in the air as if someone were being hanged.
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someone → say → air
The shadows also create the outline of a long, tapering triangle that was compared to the pointed hood of a Klan robe, an image of racism indelibly seared into American history.
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that → create → history
“As a Black man and someone who loves Converse shoes, I find this very insensitive and distasteful,” Kendall Peacock, who runs the Education Firm, a tutoring and mentorship program in Atlanta, said on social media.
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who → love → media
“Deliberate racist intent hasn’t been established yet, but that doesn’t erase the impact,” he added.
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he → establish → impact
Stephanie Schwartz, a social justice photographer, wrote on social media, “Every photographer can tell you, whoever did this ad knew EXACTLY what they were doing.”
Online commentators said that, taken together, the design evoked a lynching.
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design → write → lynching
“We’re sorry,” Converse said in an emailed statement Saturday.
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Converse → ’re → statement
“We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognise that we got this wrong.”
“We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared,” the statement added.
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statement → understand → it
“This should not have happened and we will do better.”
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we → happen → ?
It was not immediately clear who designed or approved the advertisement.
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who → design → advertisement
Converse did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
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Converse → respond → comment
The photo was part of a campaign that started internationally at the end of August to promote the Chuck 70 X sneaker.
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that → start → sneaker
She was appointed as a global ambassador for Converse in June.
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She → appoint → June
Representatives for Karina did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Representatives → respond → comment
Converse introduced the first sneaker mass-produced for basketball players in 1917.
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Converse → introduce → 1917
Chuck Taylors, or Chucks, as the style came to be known, were named after the company’s most popular spokesperson, Chuck Taylor, himself a famous basketball player who joined the company in the early 1920s.
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who → come → 1920s
In August, the US retailer Target, which has no connection beyond the name to its Australian counterpart, stopped selling a children’s Halloween costume that many said evoked racist stereotypes of Black Americans.
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many → have → Americans
The product depicted a circus clown costume with accessories including gloves, a top hat and a mask shaped like a grinning mouth with large teeth.
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product → depict → teeth
Critics said those features, in addition to a promotional image that appeared to show a Black child wearing the costume, echoed caricatures from Jim Crow-era minstrel shows.
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that → say → shows
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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article → appear → Times
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion.
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newsletter → deliver → stories
The Aporia
