After M&S, Topshop, Primark, H&M and Forever 21, the Inditex group, which owns Zara, Massimo Dutti and Bershka among other brands, has confirmed that angora fur will no longer feature in its clothing ranges.

The Spanish apparel group told the Guardian newspaper it is halting its production of the luxury wool.

Inditex stated that although they had not found evidence of cruel practices at the farms providing angora wool to their suppliers, after "consultation with animal welfare organisations to explore more sustainable ways to produce angora and help develop better standards within the industry", they decided that banning angora production was the "right decision."

Animal rights activist group PETA applauded the move by the largest clothing retailer in the world: "When it comes to animal welfare policies, many of their competitors look to them and try to follow in their footsteps," commented the group's president Ingrid Newkirk.

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Inditex has announced that rather than letting its remaining angora products go to waste, the surplus of fluffy stock will be donated to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

In 2013, PETA Asia released shocking undercover video footage showing workers violently ripping the fur out of angora rabbits' writhing bodies.

The group's angora-free fashion campaign is supported by many fashion retailers who have accordingly made drastic changes to their practices. The long list includes luxury labels Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.