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Converse issued a statement to Footwear News acknowledging that an image from its Chuck 70 X sneaker campaign was deeply upsetting. The company said it had removed the photo from its social media channels and was working to eliminate it from all other appearances. “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,” the statement read. Footwear News first reported the company’s response to the backlash.
The photograph showed Aespa singer Karina standing inside a Converse star logo projection while wearing a white skirt and holding black high-top sneakers, according to a BBC News account of the campaign. Social media users said the lighting created an outline resembling a Ku Klux Klan pointed hood with the shoes appearing as dangling feet reminiscent of a lynching victim. A separate image from the Converse X Palmes collaboration featuring shoes hanging from a tree branch near a ladder also drew criticism for similar reasons, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Chuck 70 X campaign launched internationally on August 27.
Snopes verified on September 18, 2026, that the advertisement was genuine and that Converse had indeed apologised after the imagery spread online. The fact-checking outlet noted that Converse is a subsidiary of Nike. Photographer Stephanie Schwartz commented on Threads that the ad’s use of shadow, light and composition suggested the creator knew exactly what the final effect would be.
Congressman Troy A. Carter criticised the campaign in remarks reported by Primetimer, stating that Black pain is not a marketing prop, lynching is not a creative concept and the Ku Klux Klan is not an aesthetic. He added that Nike and Converse must answer for the harm caused and that an apology from a public relations department would not suffice. The lawmaker’s statement reflected broader anger expressed across platforms including X, Threads and Reddit.
Karina had been named a global brand ambassador for Converse in June, several months before the August launch of the Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers, USA Today reported in its coverage. Converse was founded in Massachusetts in the early 1900s and gained widespread popularity after its Chuck Taylor All Star model was introduced to basketball courts in 1917. The brand’s history spans more than a century of athletic and casual footwear.
The images were taken down from most of Converse’s social media accounts by September 19 though one outlet noted that a version remained visible on its Threads profile for a period after the apology, according to Women’s Wear Daily. Converse had not commented further on potential reviews of its creative approval processes at the time of the statement. The episode drew attention to the speed with which visual campaigns can face global interpretation on social media.
