Converse is facing online criticism after a Chuck 70 X campaign image featuring shoes dangling beneath pointed white fabric prompted comparisons to both a Ku Klux Klan hood and imagery associated with lynching.
The image was circulating widely by Friday, 18 September, turning an advertisement for the footwear brand's updated Chuck 70 into a debate over how the composition made it through the creative process. The comparisons stem from viewers' interpretations of the image. There is no indication in Converse's public campaign materials that the photograph was intended to reference the KKK, lynching or white supremacy.
Converse Ad Draws KKK and Lynching Comparisons
The campaign image centres on Converse shoes suspended beneath a large piece of white material, which narrows towards a point at the top. That combination became the focus of the reaction, with some viewers saying the fabric resembled the distinctive pointed hood historically associated with the Ku Klux Klan. Others focused on the shoes hanging below it and said the overall composition brought lynching imagery to mind.
One commenter responding to the image wrote, 'WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!' before adding, 'This is why I'm [a] Vans person.' Another reacted, 'HUH 😭 I was meant to see this I almost bought a pair.' The comments captured how quickly discussion moved away from the Chuck 70 X itself and towards the visual associations viewers drew from the advertisement.
The discussion widened after users pointed to a separate recent Converse collaboration, this time with Copenhagen-based tennis lifestyle brand Palmes. One campaign photograph shows a person standing on a ladder while holding a pair of trainers above their head beside a tree. On Threads, one viewer shared the image and wrote, 'Yes. the @converse ad IS that serious. this photo doubles down on the messaging. what the fuck.'
The image comes from Converse's collaboration with Copenhagen sportswear label Palmes, which launched on 14 September. While there is no evidence that the campaign was intended to evoke lynching, the photograph became part of the same online discussion as viewers scrutinised imagery across Converse's recent advertising.
Historical examples help explain why the white fabric became such a focal point. The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture describes one KKK hood in its collection as 'conical-shaped' and made from plain white cotton, with a back flap extending from the hood. The KKK is historically associated with white supremacy, racial terror, and violence in the United States.
Chuck 70 X Was Supposed To Reimagine an Icon
The controversy comes as Converse promotes the Chuck 70 X as an updated version of one of its best-known silhouettes. On its official product pages, the company describes the trainer under the heading 'The Icon Reimagined', highlighting heavyweight canvas, increased cushioning, thicker laces and its vintage-inspired sole. The US versions currently retail for $95 for the low-top and $100 for the high-top.
Converse traces the silhouette's basketball roots to 1917, when the company introduced the Non-Skid, one of the earliest shoes it designed specifically for basketball. The shoe became the All Star in 1919, with Chuck Taylor's signature added in 1934. Today, Converse operates as part of Nike Inc., alongside Nike and Jordan Brand.
The reaction has instead shifted attention away from the Chuck 70 X's updated design and towards the campaign photograph itself. Instead of debating cushioning or styling, viewers have been examining the negative space, fabric placement and dangling shoes in the photograph.
Viewers Question How the Image Was Approved
Some commenters questioned how the image was approved without anyone apparently anticipating those associations. The criticism focused particularly on the combination of the pointed white fabric and the shoes suspended beneath it, rather than on claims that Converse deliberately intended the historical references.
As of Friday, 18 September, Converse did not appear to have issued a public statement specifically addressing the KKK or lynching comparisons. The Chuck 70 X remains available through the company's official website, where Converse continues to market the silhouette around comfort, heritage and its updated design.
For an advertisement intended to make people look at a new pair of Chucks, the internet is now looking at almost everything else in the picture.
