Sept 21 (Reuters) – Nike-owned Converse has pulled an advertisement that sparked a public backlash last week, ABC News reported on Monday, as critics said it evoked imagery of Black lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.
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The ad, which is no longer available in any of Converse’s social media accounts, showed the lower half of a person wearing a white, calf-length skirt-like garment, which looked like a KKK robe. The person was holding black sneakers.
Some users on social media said the lighting made the black sneakers appear to be suspended, as though someone was hanging next to the robed person, while shadows on the white garment formed a triangular shape that they said resembled the peak of a KKK hood.
“We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong,” Converse said in a statement to ABC News. “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.”
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Converse and Nike did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours.
The images were part of a campaign promoting Converse’s Chuck 70 X sneaker, created in collaboration with K-pop singer Karina of the group Aespa.
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Karina could not be immediately reached for a comment.
(Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonali Paul)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
