Converse Apologizes, Removes Ad After KKK Comparisons

Converse apologized and removed an international social-media advertisement featuring K-pop singer Karina after critics said its lighting and composition evoked a Ku Klux Klan hood and the dangling shoes resembled the feet of a lynching victim. The Nike-owned company said the image was deeply upsetting, acknowledged that it had “got this wrong,” and promised to remove the campaign wherever it appeared. Louisiana Rep. Troy Carter and civil-rights lawyer Lee Merritt condemned the ad and questioned how it passed the company’s review process, with Carter calling for accountability from those who created and approved it. The backlash also prompted calls for a boycott, while some social-media users argued the imagery was unintentional. Converse declined to provide further details about its vetting process, and Karina has not publicly commented. The controversy also involved a separate Converse x Palmes image depicting shoes hanging from a tree.