Converse apologized and removed campaign images after critics said promotional photos for the Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush resembled a Ku Klux Klan hood and evoked lynching. One image featuring aespa’s Karina beneath a star-shaped spotlight and another showing shoes near a tree branch drew widespread condemnation. The brand has pledged to do better, but critics — including Rep. Troy Carter — say an apology alone is insufficient and are calling for greater accountability and systemic changes in ad review.
Converse Pulls Campaign Images, Apologizes After Ads Evoke KKK Hood and Lynching Imagery
Converse's controversial Chuck 70 X campaignCredit: Converse
Converse has apologized and removed several campaign images after social media users raised alarms that visuals in a recent promotion for the Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers evoked racist symbols — including a Ku Klux Klan hood and lynching imagery.
What Happened
The campaign featured Karina, a member of K-pop group aespa, in several promotional photos for the Nike-owned brand. In one widely shared image, Karina stands beneath a star-shaped spotlight wearing a calf-length white skirt while holding a pair of black high-top sneakers. Critics said the spotlight created an outline resembling a KKK hood and that the way the shoes were held suggested lynching.
Converse's controversial Chuck 70 X campaignCredit: Converse
Another image, posted to Converse Malaysia in connection with the Converse x Palmes Jack Purcell PDM collection, showed two models climbing a wooden ladder toward shoes hanging near a tree branch. That composition prompted additional condemnation after being highlighted by outlets such as Women’s Wear Daily.
Brand Response
“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.” — Converse statement to PEOPLE
Converse says it removed the images from its accounts and is working to take them down wherever they appeared. The company apologized publicly and pledged to improve its review processes.
Converse storeCredit: Alamy
Public Reaction
The backlash was swift. Social posts condemned the imagery as tone-deaf and harmful, with some longtime customers sharing videos of themselves burning their Converse sneakers. Many argued that the impact of the visuals mattered more than intent.
Louisiana Congressman Troy Carter publicly condemned the campaign and urged Nike and Converse to account for the decision to post the images. In a press release he said, in part: "The white hood is not some harmless costume. It is a symbol of terror, murder and generations of racial violence." Carter insisted that "black pain is not a marketing prop" and that repairing the harm will require more than a PR apology.
Broader Implications
The controversy has reignited debate about creative oversight, cultural sensitivity, and the responsibility of global brands to anticipate how visual elements might resonate — or retraumatize — audiences, particularly when historical contexts of racial violence are involved.
What Comes Next: Converse says it will review its internal processes. Critics and lawmakers are calling for more substantive accountability beyond the apology, and industry observers say the incident underscores the need for stronger diversity and sensitivity checks in advertising production and approvals.
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