Italy Confiscates Counterfeit Cashmere Containing Rat Fur

Posted February 6, 2014 01:15 by dave-dr-gonzo

Yecch. But look at the upside — it’s a good excuse to skimp on the luxury stuff and go for good old American wool.

Clothing being sold as cashmere actually contains rat fur, it appears, as Italian police arrest 14 people and seize more than a million garments.

The Chinese-born suspects were arrested in the Italian cities of Livorno and Rome after a year-long investigation, and have been cautioned for fraud, the Italian news agency ANSA reports.

The clothes claiming to be made of cashmere contained a mixture of acrylic and viscose, as well as “fur from rats and other animals”, judicial sources say. Bogus merino wool, silk and pashmina garments were also seized.