Four Afghan men were ordered to report to the Taliban government's department of vice and virtue for dressing in costumes inspired by the TV series Peaky Blinders.
The friends were told that their clothing was in conflict with Afghan and Islamic values, a Taliban spokesman told the BBC, adding the values depicted in Peaky Blinders went against Afghan culture.
In videos posted online, the men, who have since been released, can be seen posing in flat caps and three-piece suits similar to those worn in the series set in England soon after World War One.
Since the Taliban seized power in 2021, they have imposed a number of restrictions on daily life in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
Even jeans would have been acceptable, but the values in the Peaky Blinders series are against Afghan culture, Saiful Islam Khyber, a spokesman for the Taliban government's provincial department of vice and virtue in Herat city told the BBC.
The men, all in their early twenties, hail from Jibrail in Herat province. They were summoned to report to the Taliban's morality police on Sunday and presented themselves for questioning the following day.
They were promoting foreign culture and imitating film actors in Herat, Khyber noted on social media, adding that they had undergone a rehabilitation programme.
They were not formally arrested but only summoned and advised and released, according to Khyber's statements.
We have our own religious and cultural values, and especially for clothing, we have specific traditional styles, he added.
According to Khyber, the clothing they wore lacks Afghan identity and is an imitation of actors from a British movie. Our society is Muslim; if we are to follow or imitate someone, we should follow our righteous religious predecessors in good and lawful matters, he emphasized.
Videos released after their questioning show the men expressing gratitude to officials for their guidance, stating they were unaware they had violated any laws.
One of the men mentioned, I have innocently been sharing content that was against Sharia which had many viewers, and he vowed to refrain from such actions in the future.
In a YouTube interview just before their summons, the friends had stated their admiration for the fashion showcased in the series, noting positive reactions from locals. At first we were hesitant, but once we went outside, people liked our style, stopped us in the streets, and wanted to take photos with us, one of them remarked.
