Converse Ad Slammed For Implying Racism, But How Did Malaysia Get Caught In The Middle?
A promotional post that evoked images of American white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan and lynching has sparked controversy on the shoe brand.
- Converse faced backlash over ads accused of referencing KKK imagery and lynching, prompting the brand to apologise and remove the content.
- Malaysia was dragged into the controversy after a separate Converse x Palmes campaign image appeared on Converse Malaysia's Instagram page.
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American shoe brand Converse recently stepped in some controversy after it published an ad that some Americans claimed evoked references of white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the heinous act of lynching.
The KKK is primarily based in the United States of America and are infamous for being extremely racist, particularly against the black community.
Formed in 1865, the KKK historically has used lynchings, beatings and torture as a primary tool of racial terror and intimidation against Black people and other minority groups in the United States. They’re also known by their signature masks and white hoods and robes.
Lynching is an illegal killing carried out by a mob of people outside of the legal system and without a fair trial, and was common in the southern states of North America in the 1800s.
The Converse ad that was struck down
The controversial advertisement in question was an image of a woman holding a pair of Converse shoes while standing under a spotlight in the shape of a star.
Some social media users pointed out that the way the spotlight fell on the woman’s skirt subtly displayed a KKK white hood, and accused the sneakers hanging from the woman’s hand of looking like a black person that was lynched or hung to death.
No, you’re not crazy.
— Eh, what’s up Doc (@rabbitSZN2) September 18, 2026
Yes, the Converse ad is racist.
Yes, it looks like a Klan outfit.
Yes, it looks like a lynching.
And no, “it’s just a shoe ad” is not a defense. pic.twitter.com/urDiTNuBt6
The image is actually part of a campaign featuring K-Pop star Karina of the girl group Aespa promoting the Chuck 70 X and Run Star Crush sneakers.
Some social media users have shared detailed opinions and analyses of the image, pointing out how it is used to allegedly send a racist message.
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Converse has issued an apology on the matter, and pulled the advertisement from all their official platforms.
The Nike-owned brand was quoted by several American media outlets as saying: “We’re sorry. 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.”
How did Malaysia get into the converse-ation?
Another promotional image from a separate Converse campaign also sparked accusations that it was evoking the KKK.
The picture showed a man on a ladder, holding a pair of Converse shoes that appear to be hanging from a tree. Lynching in America usually involves beating, torture and even hanging of minority races including African-Americans.
According to multiple American media reports and fashion industry news, the image that was part of a Converse x Palmes campaign for the Jack Purcell PDM sneaker collection launched earlier this month was shared on Converse Malaysia’s Instagram page.
Checks found that the picture is not on the page at the time of writing, but it has been widely circulated on social media.
Public opinion on the matter is split quite evenly, with some calling out the brand for blatantly promoting racism and violence towards a minority group, while others simply do not see any sort of KKK or racial imagery in the photos.
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