Converse, the sneaker brand owned by Beaverton-headquartered Nike, removed a social media ad and apologized after critics said the image evoked the Ku Klux Klan and lynching.
The Instagram ad, posted Sept. 3, showed K-pop singer Karina of the South Korean group Aespa holding a pair of black high-top Chuck 70 X sneakers while wearing a calf-length white skirt. Critics said a star-shaped spotlight created a white triangular outline on the skirt that resembled a KKK hood, and that the dangling sneakers evoked the feet of a lynching victim.
Converse said in a statement released Saturday, Sept. 19, that it recognized the mistake, had removed the image from its channels and was working to remove it everywhere it appeared, The Oregonian reported. The Boston-based company declined Monday, Sept. 21, to answer questions about how it screens ads or how the image was approved.
The backlash drew responses from elected officials. U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a Louisiana Democrat, called the ad racist, reckless and deeply offensive in a Friday, Sept. 18, press release. Carter's office said an apology was not enough and called on Nike and Converse to commission an independent investigation and establish safeguards against similar imagery.
Texas-based civil rights attorney Lee Merritt posted on Instagram on Friday, Sept. 18, that the apology did not undo failures across Converse's legal, marketing and leadership teams.
"This wasn't hidden. It was styled, lit, and approved by a creative team. Someone signed off on this," Merritt wrote, according to CBC News.
The controversy extends beyond one image. A second Converse ad, posted on the brand's Malaysia Instagram account as part of a separate campaign, showed people climbing a ladder to reach sneakers hanging from a tree branch. Critics said that image also evoked lynching. Multiple outlets reported on the second ad, though CBC News noted it had seen only social media copies and had not confirmed the original with Converse.
The ad crisis lands during a difficult stretch for Nike. The company has lost more than $200 billion in market capitalization since its 2021 peak, Fortune reported. Nike exited the S&P 100 index on Sept. 21 after nearly 18 years, according to Sole Retriever. The company remains in the S&P 500.
Converse sales are also sliding. Revenue at the subsidiary fell 32% in the 12 months ending in fiscal year 2026 on a currency-neutral basis, according to Yahoo Finance.
Nike has not issued a separate public statement on the Converse ad beyond the subsidiary's own apology. No independent investigation or congressional hearing has been announced. Nike's next scheduled financial disclosure is its fiscal 2027 first-quarter earnings report, expected Oct. 1.
