A popular national footwear brand recently published a collaborative Instagram post with a fraternity, despite two former members being recently accused of disseminating nonconsensual intimate images of a fellow college student.
On September 25, HEYDUDE, a viral shoe brand that was acquired by Crocs in 2022, posted a photo on its Instagram account promoting shoes that appeared to be UF versions of the brand’s popular “Wally” loafer, a lightweight slip-on sneaker with a foam insert.
“@heydude called, @thetachiflorida answered,” the caption read, alongside photos of Theta Chi members clowning around and wearing orange-and-blue sneakers. The brand also posted a video on its TikTok account outside of the Florida fraternity house with the caption “wtf is any shoe besides a HEYDUDE?”
The post led to backlash in the comments section, with many questioning why the brand would choose to work with the fraternity. “#CancelHeyDude,” one person wrote. Another chimed in: “I would boycott if I wore fucking ugly shoes but I don’t so I can’t.”
As WIRED previously reported, two former members of the UF chapter of Theta Chi, Kamran Ahmed and Brendan Pitfield, allegedly used anonymous burner accounts with the handles “Steve ‘SC’ Cumfull” and “Arnie_Grape16” to disseminate a nonconsensual intimate video of Maddie Kowalski, then a 19-year-old UF student. One of the “Steve ‘SC’ Cumfull” posts on X identified Kowalski by her full name and sorority affiliation.
According to affidavits from the Gainesville Police Department, the posts accumulated thousands of views. Kowalski’s name went viral on X, causing her “widespread public humiliation and significant emotional distress,” according to the affidavit. Ahmed and Pitfield are currently being charged with sexual cyberharassment, a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Kowalski is also suing both men for financial damages in Florida Northern District Court. Through their attorneys, Pitfield (who has entered a plea of not guilty) and Ahmed did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Though no other Theta Chi members have been charged, a screengrab of Instagram comments from an account linked to Ahmed appears to show fellow members referencing his alleged burner name. Some comments also appear to reference a cryptocurrency in Kowalski’s name, that the police affidavit alleges Ahmed promoted on X. When reached for comment, Theta Chi CEO Michael Mayer previously told WIRED that the alleged behavior described in the affidavit is “reprehensible” and “completely contrary to Theta Chi’s ideals.”
The charges against Pitfield and Ahmed, as well as WIRED’s reporting on the case, sparked an outcry on the UF campus. On September 15, a group of students advertised a protest outside the Theta Chi fraternity house, circulating a flier demanding that the chapter be removed from the UF campus. “They need to be held accountable,” the flier reads.
On YikYak, the anonymous campus forum, there have also been calls to “boycott” or “nuke” Theta Chi, according to screengrabs reviewed by WIRED. Some anonymous YikYak posts appeared to suggest that the September 15 protest was broken up by campus police outside of Theta Chi: “Cops nuked the theta chi protest good job UF,” one reads. “Typical.” Blake Trauschke, the assistant director of public affairs for UF, tells WIRED that while “there were calls and social media posts for a protest,” to her knowledge “none emerged,” though she conceded that UF police were present “to ensure the safety and security of all.”
Founded in 1856, Theta Chi has established more than 246 chapters at colleges and universities across the country, and it has more than 250,000 initiated members nationwide, according to the organization’s website. At UF specifically, Theta Chi has 190 active members, according to the UF Interfraternity Council.
When asked about the post with HEYDUDE, a representative for Theta Chi tells WIRED Ahmed and Pitfield are no longer members of Theta Chi Fraternity. “If it is determined through the legal process that the defendants are guilty of the alleged behavior described in the complaints, Theta Chi will support the maximum allowable penalty under the law and the permanent expulsion of the student offenders from the University of Florida,” the spokesperson says.
In mid-September, the Cornell Sun published the names of seven Cornell University students who a former student alleged gang-raped her in 2024 at a Chi Phi frat house; In September, the Jane Doe filed civil cases against them. The revelation has sparked widespread criticism of frat culture on social media. The content creator and activist @bluraybeyond, who has also posted about the Kowalski case, made a Reel calling out HEYDUDE for posting with UF Theta Chi, writing in a caption “@heydude what the actual heck is your problem #maddiekowalski.” “HEYDUDE is sending the same message we’re seeing out of Cornell and the DA’s office: survivor experiences [are] unimportant to us,” she tells WIRED. She believes the company “has chosen to reward sexual [exploitation] with a lack of accountability and free PR swag.”
After seeing the collab post with HEYDUDE, Kowalski tells WIRED she and her mother emailed the company to ask why they had decided to work with the UF chapter. She says they did not hear back.
In a statement to WIRED, a HEYDUDE spokesperson says the company “has no affiliation, sponsorship, or ongoing partnership” with UF Theta Chi, and that the post was part of a larger “HEYDUDE Tailgate Tour” visiting various locations, including frat and sorority houses, across the country.
“We were unaware of the allegations made against” members of the UF Theta Chi chapter “when the tour was planned,” the spokesperson says. “Our company does not support this alleged behavior and takes allegations such as these very seriously. We will re-evaluate future stops for the remainder of the tour.”
As of Friday morning, the post was still up.
The post This Shoe Company’s Instagram Ad With a Frat Is Pissing People Off appeared first on Wired.
