Dolce & Gabbana Closes Stores Over Tax Evasion Backlash

Dolce & Gabbana  closed its nine Milan stores this weekend, in protest at being "pilloried" over their tax evasion convictions. The boutiques will reopen tomorrow.

The designers were sentenced to one year and eight months in prison in June - a decision that they will appeal against. Store doors currently bear the message "Closed for indignation", alongside a newspaper article in which city councillor Franco D'Alfonso argued that the label should not be able to show in Milan's communal spaces in September. The 250-strong store staff will continue to be paid throughout the closures.

"We are no longer willing to suffer undeservedly the accusations of the financial police and the income revenue authority, attacks from public ministers and the media pillory we have already been subjected to for years," Domenico Dolce  and Stefano Gabbana said in a statement. "We were born in Milan and have always been very grateful to this city. However, it must also be said that in the last 30 years we have given a great deal to this city: prestige and international visibility, jobs and economic development."

Attached to the letter is a list of "important contributors" to Milan in 2005, with Dolce and Gabbana coming in at fourth and fifth place respectively. The designer duo has vehemently denied any wrongdoing throughout their court case - which found them guilty of evading taxes of €400 million (£342 million).

D&G Closes Milan Stores In Protest

"Despite our passion and a sense of responsibility which push us to continue working with our usual dedication and drive, we are tired of being subjected to continuous slander and insults, which are detrimental to the serenity of our work place and distracting us from our work as designers," the pair said in a letter. "We are very fortunate to work with people who are gifted with rare excellence, both from a technical-professional point of view and from a personal point of view; they believe in us and this situation is taking away their motivation. The closing of our shops in Milan is a symbol of our disdain."