Converse Pulls Karina Ad After Backlash Over KKK, Lynching Imagery In Sneaker Campaign

Converse has removed a social media advertisement featuring K-pop singer Karina after critics said the campaign evoked imagery associated with the Ku Klux Klan and lynching. The sneaker company apologised for the advertisement, saying it understood why the image was deeply upsetting and acknowledged that it had got it wrong.

According to AP, the Instagram advertisement showed Karina wearing a skirt and holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers. Critics said a white triangular image created by lighting on the skirt resembled a KKK hood, while the way she held the sneakers made them look like the dangling feet of a lynching victim. The advertisement drew swift criticism online, including calls for staff involved in the ad to be fired and for a boycott of Converse.

Converse apologises and removes advertisement

Converse, which is owned by Nike and based in Boston, issued a statement apologising for the advertisement and said it had removed the image from its channels.

“We’re sorry,” said the statement, first released on Friday. “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.”

AP reported that Converse declined on Sunday to answer further questions, including how the company screens advertisements before they are posted and how the ad was approved.

Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment Group, did not immediately respond to messages sent through their Instagram accounts.

Backlash raises questions over ad approval

The controversy also prompted questions on social media about how the advertisement had cleared Converse's advertising vetting process. Some users called for staff involved in the campaign to be fired and urged a boycott of the company. Other commenters defended Converse, saying they did not believe the imagery was intentional.

Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney based in Texas, posted on Instagram that Converse’s apology “doesn’t undo what got past legal, marketing and leadership at every step.”

“We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test,” he wrote. “Do better means catching this before it airs — not after we’re offended.”

According to AP, retailers and top fashion brands have issued a string of apologies over the years for products criticised as being racially insensitive.

Last month, retailer Target pulled a children's Halloween costume from its shelves after widespread social media backlash, apologising for selling a garment that critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures.

Converse's Chuck Taylor history

Converse was founded in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908 and makes the Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker. It was first released in 1917 as a non-skid basketball shoe, adding the signature of Taylor — a basketball player who promoted the sneaker — in 1934, according to the company's website.