Entertainment
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Converse removes sneaker ad after racist imagery claims
Hindustan Times··5d ago
Converse removed an Instagram ad of K-pop singer Karina with Chuck 70 X sneakers after critics said skirt lighting resembled Ku Klux Klan imagery, Hindustan Times reported. Converse, owned by Nike, apologised Friday and said it was removing the image everywhere. Lee Merritt said companies need vetting before publication, not apologies after offence. Converse declined further comment Sunday.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Social media audiences may boycott brands when racially charged ad imagery spreads before takedowns.
- Retail marketing teams face renewed scrutiny of lighting and composition in global sneaker campaigns.
- Karina's management at SM Entertainment did not immediately respond to messages the report said.
What's Happening
- Critics posted online that a white triangular light patch on the skirt looked like a KKK hood.
- Some commenters defended Converse, saying they did not view the imagery as intentional.
- Target pulled a children's Halloween costume last month after similar social media criticism, the report recalled.
Fashion advertising vetting failures
- Converse was founded in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908 and released the Chuck Taylor All Star in 1917.
- The company added basketball player Chuck Taylor's signature to the shoe in 1934, its website states.
- Merritt wrote that apologies after publication do not replace vetting by legal and marketing teams.
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