Converse Pulls Karina Ad After KKK and Lynching Imagery Backlash

Converse has withdrawn a social media advertisement featuring aespa singer Karina after the campaign drew widespread criticism that its imagery evoked the Ku Klux Klan and the lynching of Black people.

The Nike-owned brand apologised and said it had removed the advertisement from its own channels while working to take it down wherever else it had appeared.

The campaign promoted Converse's Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers. In the advertisement, Karina is shown holding black high-top shoes beneath a star-shaped spotlight while wearing a long white skirt.

Critics focused on the lighting and shadows around the singer, saying the resulting white, pointed silhouette resembled a KKK hood. The dangling sneakers were also criticised as resembling the feet of a hanging lynching victim. A separate resurfaced campaign image showing shoes hanging from a tree branch further intensified the backlash.

US Representative Troy Carter, a Democrat from Louisiana, condemned the campaign, calling the imagery "racist, reckless and deeply offensive." He also called for an independent investigation into how the campaign was reviewed and approved.

"Nike and Converse, what the hell were you thinking?" Carter said. "Your campaign shows what looks like a hooded Klansman, framed by what appears to be the dangling feet of a lynching victim. There is nothing creative or artistic about it."

In its apology, Converse said: "We're sorry. 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. This should not have happened, and we will do better."

While some online commenters argued that the visual resemblance was unintentional, others called for a boycott of the brand and consequences for those involved in the campaign.

As of Sunday, Converse had declined to answer follow-up questions about how the advertisement passed its internal legal and marketing screening process.

Carter's office said the apology and removal of the images were insufficient. A spokesperson said Nike and Converse must explain how the campaign was conceived and approved, identify those responsible, commission an independent investigation, disclose the process and establish safeguards to ensure that imagery invoking the Klan and the lynching of Black people is never approved again.

Karina and her management agency, SM Entertainment, have not commented on the controversy.