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A full-page Skechers ad in the December 2024 issue of Vogue drew criticism after viewers spotted garbled storefront lettering, distorted background figures and other details they associated with generative AI. The allegation was never confirmed in the contemporaneous coverage: Skechers did not respond to comment requests reported by multiple outlets.
What appeared in the Skechers ad
The ad showed two fashionable women walking through an illustrated city or shopping-district scene. The Skechers shoes, however, appeared separately near a corner of the composition; the women seemed to be wearing heels rather than the advertised sneakers. That disconnect became part of the criticism, alongside the image’s visual oddities. Fortune and Fast Company described the placement and the product-integration complaints.
The controversy surfaced in December 2024. Futurism reported on it on December 16, and Creative Bloq covered the design criticism on December 18. It is a dispute about a specific magazine ad, not a newly confirmed announcement about Skechers’ current advertising practices.
Why viewers suspected generative AI
TikTok creator @polishlaurapalmer helped amplify the criticism. She said the illustration initially looked appealing to her, but closer inspection changed her view. The details she and other observers called out are visual interpretations, not a technical examination of the artwork’s production history.
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- Storefront awning lettering that looked like unreadable pseudo-text.
- Background figures that appeared faceless, indistinct or distorted.
- Faces and clothing details that seemed unnatural or visually disconnected, including a garment detail that looked missing or as if it were melting.
- A composition that seemed plausible at a glance but appeared inconsistent on closer inspection.
These are signs observers associated with generative AI, not proof of it. Malformed text, odd anatomy and awkward compositing can also result from human illustration, rushed retouching, manipulated stock art or image compression. A visual inspection cannot establish which tools or workflow made the ad.
What Skechers did—and did not—say
In the contemporaneous coverage, Skechers did not answer the requests for comment described by Fortune, Futurism and Fast Company. That establishes the absence of a response to those requests at the time; it is not an admission or evidence that the allegation was true.
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The reporting supports a careful distinction: the ad appeared in Vogue and drew criticism; observers pointed to details they considered AI-like; but the available coverage did not establish whether AI was used at all, whether it produced the whole image or only some elements, or whether the artwork was made by an agency, artist or other vendor. No specific model or production workflow was identified.
Why the criticism went beyond image quality
Product clarity
When an ad for shoes shows fashion figures who appear to wear a different kind of footwear, viewers may struggle to connect the image to the product. That mismatch is a marketing concern regardless of how the illustration was produced.
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- ADVANCED CUSHIONING: Air-Cooled Memory Foam insole delivers superior comfort and breathability in these mens slip on shoes
- BREATHABLE DESIGN: Lightweight mesh upper with fixed stretch laces ensures optimal airflow and a secure fit in these mens slip on sneakers
- VERSATILE STYLE: Athletic casual design perfect for everyday wear, featuring a flexible traction outsole and shock-absorbing midsole
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Quality control and brand trust
Critics questioned how visible inconsistencies could make it into a full-page magazine placement. Their concern was that a polished fashion setting could not compensate for details that looked unfinished or careless. That is an interpretation of the ad’s execution, not evidence of Skechers’ internal review process or business priorities.
Creative labor
Some viewers read the suspected AI use as a sign of cost-cutting or an attempt to avoid hiring human creatives. The cited coverage does not establish Skechers’ budget, intent or whether any workers were displaced. The backlash nevertheless reflects a broader concern about how generative tools may affect illustrators, designers, photographers and models.
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Social-media reaction
The creator who helped spread the criticism said the ad made her less interested in buying Skechers. Commenters described the image as cheap or careless and noted that the illustrated figures did not appear to wear the advertised sneakers. Those reactions show what some participants in the online discussion thought; they do not measure consumer opinion overall or demonstrate an effect on sales.
AI use in an ad can mean several different things
“AI-generated” is not a precise description of every possible production process. Advertising artwork can combine human-made and synthetic elements, and the available reporting did not identify which, if any, applied here.
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- A wholly synthetic image.
- An AI-generated background or props combined with human-made artwork or photography.
- AI-assisted retouching, generative fill or compositing within an otherwise human-created image.
- Synthetic faces or models used alongside a separately photographed product.
Those distinctions matter to debates about disclosure, labor, copyright, quality and consumer deception. Treating them as one question obscures what viewers are actually objecting to.
The broader advertising debate
December 2024 coverage placed the Skechers dispute alongside criticism of other branded AI advertising, including Coca-Cola’s holiday campaign. The shared argument was not simply that any use of AI is unacceptable: critics also objected to work they considered under-edited, derivative or dismissive of creative professionals. Futurism’s coverage connected the Skechers reaction to that wider debate.
For advertisers, the practical issue is whether the finished work serves the product and brand. If generative tools are used, human review still has to catch problems with lettering, anatomy, clothing, product depiction and visual consistency. In this case, the ad’s apparent flaws and product mismatch were enough to attract attention, while the production method remained unconfirmed.
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