Low priced Cashmere sweaters made in China posed a challange to an industry formerly dominated by Scotland and Italy.

In the Intersélection retail fashion fair held in the French capital, the companies like TongHeXing Inc and Inner Mongolia Haichi Trade Co were offering 100 percent cashmere sweaters at a trade price of about €17.50 (£11.80) at the fair. In the shops the sweaters would be priced at between €30 and €45.

The Chinese cashmere industry generates sales, collectively with wool and finished articles of about $1 billion (£524 million) a year.