'Cashmere' clothes found to contain rat fur

Clothing being sold as ‘cashmere’ has been exposed as actually containing rat fur by Italian Police,

following a year-long investigation into Chinese-run firms in Rome.

Italian authorities have arrested 14 people and seized more than a million fake garments, after coats claiming to be made of ‘cashmere’ contained a mixture of acrylic and viscose, as well as "fur from rats and other animals".

All 14 suspects were Chinese-born, operating out of five Chinese-run companies in Rome and distributed by a wholesaler near Florence, and all have been cautioned for fraud.

Counterfeiting is widespread in China, in domestic and export markets, and the countries reputation for distribution fake goods may be hurting legitimate businesses, as according to the Arab News, Saudi consumers may be put off by a “Made in China” label because they are worried it might be fake.