Gulf Crisis Sparks Fad for Fatigues : Fashion: Military surplus stores note an increase in sales of desert camouflage clothing, arm patches, pins, bayonets and even gas masks.

The deployment of American soldiers in Saudi Arabia has spawned a new fashion trend on the home front: civilians sporting military fatigues in desert camouflage patterns.

Owners of surplus stores in the San Fernando Valley said Monday that they have had a hard time keeping desert camouflage jackets and pants in stock since the U.S. troop buildup began in the Middle East.

“It’s become a fad. . . . People sort of feel pride in what’s happening and they want to identify with it. It’s like raising a flag, almost,” said Bernie Graf, owner of Surplus Headquarters in Reseda.

Graf said that in the past few days he has sold dozens of camouflage uniforms at $55 each. Although he also stocks the uniforms in green-and-gray camouflage, his customers only have eyes for the tan models, designed for desert warfare.

Many of those buying the uniforms are young men between the ages of 15 and 35, seeking to imitate U.S. soldiers on maneuvers in the Saudi desert, surplus sellers said.

“It’s the in thing right now,” said Peter Kalaydjian, an owner of RECON-1 in Tarzana. “It’s what’s seen on TV and that’s when the wanna-bes come out. We have a lot of people who like to dress up as police and security guards too.”

Surplus salesmen said some of the uniforms are being bought by servicemen who expect to be sent overseas and want extra sets. Local military post exchanges apparently are sold out of desert fatigues, salesmen said.

The troop deployment has boosted sales of other military gear as well, including arm patches, pins, bayonets, camouflage T-shirts and even gas masks, store owners said.

Kalaydjian said he recently sold six high-grade, carbon-steel combat knives to parents of military personnel who may soon be ordered abroad. The knives cost $220 apiece.

“Fathers, mothers--they want the best for whoever’s going,” he said. “They’re also buying them as going-away gifts, believe it or not.”

The increasing demand for gas masks by civilians baffles surplus salespeople.

“I don’t know why,” said Ben Susman, president of Army and Navy Surplus in Van Nuys. “We’re about 11,000 miles from Iraq. I may be a little provincial, but I think that makes us pretty safe. My customers may be smarter than me, though.”

Susman said he has sold about 40 inexpensive Israeli-made gas masks in the past two weeks, even though their instructions are printed in Hebrew and presumably unreadable to most buyers.

A young Army reservist who would not give his name said he and other soldiers are buying more expensive gas masks in case they lose their army-issued masks during combat.

Jack Jehdian, a salesman at AGOP Discount Surplus in Reseda, said all military items are suddenly popular.

“When baseball season comes, everybody buys baseball items,” he said. “Now it’s military season.”