A fine of almost €15,000 has been imposed on German sportswear company Adidas in Turkey because the company failed to inform customers that the toe of one of its top shoes was made of pig skin.

In a decision obtained by Agence France-Presse, the Turkish advertising regulator criticized the German brand for using the term “genuine leather” in the description on its Turkish website of the exterior of the model shoe “Samba OG” without specifying that it was pigskin.

The regulator stresses that the use of a “material contrary to the religious sensitivities of the majority of society must be clearly stated in advertisements” for these sneakers, worn in appearances by models Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. Consequently, Adidas was fined 550,059 Turkish pounds, or 14,600 euros.

Asked by Agence France-Presse, the German company did not immediately respond. In a 2020 opinion, Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) stressed that “it is accepted by almost all Muslim scholars that pigskin cannot be cleaned during tanning or similar processes” and that therefore “the manufacture of shoes or clothes from pigskin or hair is not allowed.”