Converse apologises after sneaker ad sparks Ku Klux Klan imagery backlash - IOL

File picture. Converse has apologised and removed the advert following the backlash.

US sneaker company Converse has apologised and removed a social media advertisement after critics said imagery in the campaign evoked the Ku Klux Klan and lynching.

The advert, posted on Instagram, featured South Korean K-pop star Karina, a member of girl group aespa, wearing a white skirt and holding a pair of black Converse sneakers.

Critics on social media pointed to a triangular shape created by the lighting on the skirt, saying it resembled the pointed hood associated with the Ku Klux Klan. Others said the position of the dangling sneakers evoked the feet of a person being lynched.

Converse, which is owned by Nike, acknowledged the criticism in a statement issued to US media outlets.

“We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognise that we got this wrong,” the company said.

“This should not have happened and we will do better.”

Converse said it had removed the image from its own channels and was working to take it down from other places where it had appeared.

The campaign promoted the Chuck 70 X sneaker, which was launched internationally on August 27. Converse describes the shoe as part of a collaboration with Karina, who is one of the members of aespa.

The controversy also drew attention to a separate Converse campaign in which sneakers were shown hanging from a tree branch while a person stood on a ladder below. Critics on social media similarly said the image evoked lynching imagery.

The backlash has prompted questions about how the advertisements were reviewed and approved before being published. Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who criticised the campaign online, argued that potentially offensive imagery should have been identified before the advertisements were released.

Converse has not publicly detailed its internal approval process for the advertisement. Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment, have also not publicly commented on the controversy.

The company has not said that the imagery was intended to reference the Ku Klux Klan or lynching. The comparisons were made by critics and social media users, while Converse has acknowledged that the image was deeply upsetting and apologised for it.