Turkey has hit German sporting equipment giant Adidas with a fine of more than $15,000 for failing to inform customers that one of its flagship shoe models contained pigskin.
The Muslim-majority country’s advertising regulator slammed Adidas for describing its “Samba OG” sneakers — sported in recent years by models Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid — as made from “real leather”, without specifying it came from pigs.
In a ruling seen by AFP, it said the use of materials “contrary to the religious sensibilities of the majority of society must be clearly mentioned” in advertisements and product descriptions.
The regulator imposed a fine of 550,059 lira ($15,200) fine in response.
Adidas did not immediately respond when contacted by AFP for comment.
In 2020, Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs ruled that it was “not permissible to manufacture shoes or garments from pigskin or pigskin hair”.
“It is accepted by nearly all Muslim scholars that pigskin cannot be made pure by tanning or similar processes,” it said.
