Why Did Converse Apologise for Karina Ad? Brand Admits 'We Got This Wrong' After Racism Backlash

Converse has apologised and removed an advertisement featuring aespa star Karina after critics said its lighting and composition evoked disturbing imagery associated with the Ku Klux Klan and the lynching of Black Americans.

The Nike-owned footwear brand pulled the photograph following a backlash in mid-September, acknowledging that it understood why viewers found the image 'deeply upsetting.'

While Converse admitted it 'got this wrong,' there is no established evidence that the controversial imagery was deliberately created as a racist reference.

Why Did the Converse Ad Spark Racism Backlash?

The photograph was part of Converse's campaign promoting its Chuck 70 X trainers and featured Karina, a member of South Korean girl group aespa.

Karina was pictured wearing a long white skirt while standing within a brightly lit Converse star design and holding a pair of black high-top trainers at her side.

It was the combination of those elements that prompted the backlash.

Critics said lighting across the white clothing created a triangular shape resembling the pointed white hood historically associated with the Ku Klux Klan. At the same time, Karina was holding black trainers vertically beside her, which some viewers interpreted as resembling dangling feet.

Together, critics argued, the composition appeared to evoke both KKK imagery and lynching, a form of racial terror historically inflicted on Black Americans.

The interpretation quickly spread across social media, with users questioning how the photograph had passed through a major company's advertising approval process. Others defended Converse and argued that the resemblance was unintentional.

Converse Says 'We Got This Wrong' and Removes Ad

Soon after the strong backlash, Converse apologised and began removing it from circulation.

'We're sorry,' the company said in a statement. 'We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognise that we got this wrong.'

Converse said it had removed the photograph from its own channels and was working to have it removed everywhere else it had appeared, adding, 'This should not have happened, and we will do better.'

The company has not publicly explained exactly how the photograph was approved. According to the Associated Press, Boston-based Converse declined to answer further questions about how advertisements are screened before publication or how this particular image cleared that process.

Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment Group, had also not publicly responded to media requests for comment as the controversy unfolded.

Critics Question How Ad Passed Internal Review

Much of the continuing criticism has focused on the advertising process rather than claims about Karina herself.

Texas civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt argued that Converse's apology did not address how the image made it through multiple stages of review, writing that it 'doesn't undo what got past legal, marketing and leadership at every step.'

Nadine Smith, chief executive of the racial justice organisation Colour of Change, similarly questioned how nobody involved in producing and approving the campaign had identified the potential interpretation before publication.

No evidence has emerged showing that the imagery was deliberately designed as a reference to the KKK or lynching. However, that does not diminish why the photograph was deeply upsetting to many viewers, particularly given the history of racial terror and lynching against Black Americans that critics said the composition recalled.

The backlash has also left Converse facing questions beyond whether the imagery was intentional.

A campaign involving professional photography, creative direction, marketing and approval reached the public without the visual associations being addressed beforehand. Converse has apologised and removed the photograph, but it has yet to publicly explain how the image passed its internal review process.