Converse pulls sneaker ad critics say includes racist imagery - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Converse's latest ad sparked swift criticism including calls for the staff involved to be fired, as well as a boycott of the company. (Getty Images/AFP: Brandon Bell)

Converse has removed a social media ad that sparked outrage among critics who viewed it as evoking racist imagery.

Critics online said a white triangular image in the ad resembled a Ku Klux Klan hood.

Converse issued a statement saying the company understood why the image was "deeply upsetting".

The sneaker company Converse has removed a social media ad that sparked outrage among critics who viewed it as evoking the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and lynching.

The Instagram ad photo showed K-pop singer Karina wearing a skirt and holding a pair of Chuck 70 X sneakers.

The ad has since been removed by Converse. (Supplied: Converse)

Critics lashed out online, saying a white triangular image created by lighting on the skirt resembled a KKK hood and the way she held the sneakers made them look like the dangling feet of a lynching victim.

Converse, owned by Nike, issued a statement apologising and said it had removed the ad.

"We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognise that we got this wrong. We removed it from our channels and are working to remove it everywhere it appeared.

Converse, based in Boston in the United States, declined to answer questions seeking additional information, including how the company screened ads before they were posted and how the ad was approved.

Karina and her management company, SM Entertainment Group, did not immediately respond to messages through their Instagram accounts.

Retailers and top fashion brands have issued a string of apologies over the years for products and advertising criticised for being racially insensitive.

Last month, US retailer Target Corporation pulled a children's Halloween costume from its shelves after widespread social media backlash, apologising for selling a garment that critics said evoked racist minstrel caricatures.

The Converse photo sparked swift criticism, including calls to fire staff involved in the ad and boycott the company.

In a slew of social media comments, posters questioned how the ad could have cleared the company's advertising vetting process.

Other commenters defended Converse, saying they did not believe it was intentional.

Converse issued a statement saying the company understood why the image was "deeply upsetting". (AP Photo: Charles Krupa, file)

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who is based in Texas, posted on Instagram that Converse's apology "doesn't undo what got past legal, marketing and leadership at every step".

"We keep having this conversation because corporations keep failing the same test," he wrote.

Converse, founded in Malden, Massachusetts, in 1908, makes the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker.

It was first released in 1917 as a non-skid basketball shoe and, in 1934, added Taylor's signature, after the basketball player promoted the sneaker, according to the company's website.