Designers face up to five years in jail if sent for trial, but prosecutor`s request goes largely unreported in Italy.
On 19 November, a Milan prosecutor asked for two of the most famous names in fashion – Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana – to be put on trial. But there has been barely a murmur about it in the Italian press. Dolce, Gabbana and their company are accused of dodging tax on income of more than €1bn (£850m) – an amount that dwarfs the sums in previous Italian celebrity tax scandals. The affair is potentially highly embarrassing for the "Gilbert and George of Italian fashion", a duo whose sexy, baroque, often gilded designs have won the admiration and loyalty of celebrities including Victoria Beckham and Madonna.
Dolce and Gabbana are charged with defrauding the state over their taxes. If sent for trial, they risk being jailed for up to five years.
This is not the first controversy Dolce and Gabbana have weathered. Three years ago, they came under fire over an advertisement that was accused of exalting gang rape: it showed a woman being held down on the ground by a man while other men looked on.
In 2009, Giorgio Armani accused the couple of having copied from him a design for quilted trousers – a charge Dolce and Gabbana contemptuously dismissed.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk |
