Converse pulls 'deeply upsetting' advert after backlash

American footwear brand Converse has pulled an advert that social media users remarked evoked Ku Klux Klan imagery, saying it recognised "that we got this wrong".

Key points

• Founded in Massachusetts in the early 1900s, the popularity of Converse has skyrocketed since its Chuck Taylor sneaker was first introduced to US basketball courts in 1917.
• The photo was part of a campaign promoting its Chuck 70 X trainer, introduced internationally on 27 August.
• The campaign features the South Korean singer Karina, of the K-pop group Aespa.
• The photo, posted to the company's Instagram account, received backlash online after critics described lighting in the image as looking like a white pointed hood.
• In an apology, first issued on Friday, Converse remarked the photo had been removed from its social media channels and it was working to remove it elsewhere.

For context, the photo, posted to the company's Instagram account, received backlash online after critics described lighting in the image as looking like a white pointed hood.

Meanwhile, a pair of shoes, dangling in the picture, were additionally likened to an image of a lynching victim by social media users.

In an apology, first issued on Friday, Converse remarked the photo had been removed from its social media channels and it was working to remove it elsewhere. "This should not have happened and we will do better, " it remarked.

Notably, the statement additionally stated: "We're sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we obtained this wrong".

Meanwhile, the photo was part of a campaign promoting its Chuck 70 X trainer, introduced internationally on 27 August.

In practice, the campaign features the South Korean singer Karina, of the K-pop group Aespa. This person is pictured in a series of for the shoes.

Founded in Massachusetts in the early 1900s, the popularity of Converse has skyrocketed since its Chuck Taylor sneaker was first introduced to US basketball courts in 1917. The global brand has been a subsidiary of Nike since 2003.

In short, converse pulls ' deeply upsetting' advert after backlash is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.