Converse has withdrawn a social media advertisement after critics said its imagery evoked the Ku Klux Klan and the lynching of Black people.
The Instagram image featured K-pop singer Karina in a skirt while holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers. Online critics argued that a white triangular shape formed by the lighting on her skirt resembled a Ku Klux Klan hood. They also said the position of the sneakers made them look like the dangling feet of a lynching victim.
Converse, which is owned by Nike, apologized and confirmed that the advertisement had been removed.
“We’re sorry,” the company said in a statement first issued Friday. “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.”
Converse, which is based in Boston, declined Sunday to provide additional details, including how its advertisements are reviewed before publication and how the campaign received approval.
Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment Group, did not immediately respond to messages sent through their Instagram accounts.
Retailers and major fashion brands have faced repeated backlash in recent years over products and campaigns criticized as racially insensitive.
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Last month, Target removed a children’s Halloween costume from its stores after widespread criticism on social media. The retailer apologized for selling an outfit that critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures.
The Converse advertisement drew immediate condemnation, with some people calling for employees involved in its creation to be fired and urging consumers to boycott the brand. A flood of social media comments questioned how the image had passed the company’s advertising review process. Others defended Converse, saying they did not think the resemblance was intentional.
Lee Merritt, a Texas-based civil rights attorney, wrote on Instagram that Converse’s apology “doesn’t undo what got past legal, marketing and leadership at every step.”
“We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test,” he wrote. “Do better means catching this before it airs — not after we’re offended.”
Converse was founded in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908 and is known for its Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker. The shoe debuted in 1917 as a non-skid basketball shoe. In 1934, the company added the signature of Chuck Taylor, a basketball player who promoted the sneaker, according to Converse’s website.
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