Converse is apologizing after landing in hot water this week after photos from two separate ad campaigns were criticized by social media users after aspects of the photos drew comparisons to Ku Klux Klan hoods and lynching imagery.
FN reached out to Nike-owned Converse for comment about the controversy, and the company responded with a statement saying: “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.” As of writing, the image still remains on the brand’s Threads account.
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The image features K-pop star Karina of the girl group Aespa. She starred as the face of the campaign spotlighting the Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers.
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In the controversial photo, shared below, she is standing inside a Converse star with a white skirt while holding two shoes on her left side. Fans felt like the lighting on the skirt creates a white triangle shape that resembles a KKK hood, while the shoes appeared to look like two dangling legs.
“Showed my 13-year-old the new Converse ad with no context and said, ‘What does this make you think of?’ and within 2 seconds she said, ‘The KKK.’ It really is that big of a deal,” user ohthatmomglow wrote on Threads.
There was also another image that was shared to the Converse Malaysia Instagram account from the recent Converse x Palmes campaign for the Jack Purcell PDM sneaker collection released earlier this month. In the image, a man is climbing up a ladder while holding on to a pair of shoes that are dangling above him and hanging from a tree, while another man is looking up.
“The Klan silhouette is one thing. But the tree, ladder, and person in the distance looking up while holding up Converse shoes,” user akwasichr1s wrote on Threads on Thursday. “Abhorrent. Unfathomable. Repugnant.”
The Ku Klux Klan historically has used lynchings, beatings and torture as a primary tool of racial terror and intimidation against Black people and other minority groups in the United States. The KKK formed in 1865, using masks, white hoods and organized violence to suppress Black civil rights, voting and economic progress.
Still, while that is part of United States history, lynchings are still occurring and taking place in the present day, often in Southern states. On Sept. 10, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and 59 colleagues called on the DOJ and FBI to investigate a series of incidents involving Black people found hanging across the country; in 2026 alone, there have been 10 reported hangings.
Converse has a long history of working with Black athletes, entertainers, and brand ambassadors over the years, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tyler, The Creator, Dwyane Wade, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and more.
