Converse trekker reklame etter Ku Klux Klan-sammenligning

Converse faced backlash this week after sharing an image from a marketing campaign featuring K-pop star Karina from the group Aespa. The image featured the model standing in front of new Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers. However, fans claimed that the lighting on the model's clothing created a white triangle shape that resembled the Ku Klux Klan, a racist organization known for violent and hateful acts against Black people and other minorities.

The fan also suggested the scene looked like lynching, a horrific act where a mob murders someone without legal consequence, often used historically against Black people in the United States.

Converse issued a public statement on Friday apologizing for sharing the image, acknowledging the gravity of the incident and admitting they made a mistake. They stated they had removed the image from their own channels and were working to remove it from other platforms as well. The company emphasized that this should not have happened, and they were committed to doing better.

Converse was founded in Massachusetts in the early 1900s. The brand gained widespread popularity after the Chuck Taylor sneakers hit American basketball courts in 1917. Congressman Troy Carter expressed that the advertisement should never have been created and called it racist. He explained that the white triangle is not an innocent costume; it is a symbol of terror, murder, and generations of racial violence.

He believed that it was not enough for the image to be taken down and for Converse to issue an apology. Carter questioned what the company had in mind to address the situation, stating that the public deserved to know how this happened, who was responsible, and what Converse intended to do about it.