To Protect, Serve and Be Fashionable

Move over DKNY. Here comes FDNY.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, sales of FDNY and NYPD T-shirts, baseball caps, jackets and toys are up sharply, even as department stores sales are hurting as a result of a slowing economy.

In a sign that the fashion trend has arrived, counterfeiters are quickly stitching unauthorized New York Fire and Police Departments logos onto caps and jackets to cash in on the demand, just as they have always done with designers like Donna Karan New York, which makes the DKNY label.

“I don’t call this a fashion statement,” said Louis Marrero, 28, a resident of New York’s Bronx suburb after buying his NYPD cap from a street-vendor in Times Square. “All I am doing is showing the world that these people gave their lives for us, and this is a token of support.”

New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, other government officials and Hollywood stars like Bruce Willis have popularized FDNY and NYPD caps or jackets in solidarity with the fallen police officers. Now the trend has become a spontaneous outpouring by consumers.

“Since Sept. 11 our sales have surged. Each week we are doing business three times greater than we did last year,” said Mary Weitzman, spokeswoman for the store. “All that’s wanted is everything that says FDNY.”

Mindful of the counterfeit goods being sold just outside its store and elsewhere in Manhattan, the FDNY plans to seek a court order to bar hundreds of unauthorized vendors. “What they are selling is fake and illegal. We are speaking to our attorneys,” Weitzman said.

An NYPD spokesman said the police department has no official retailer for its merchandise but added that people are free to buy whatever they want with the NYPD logo from the street vendors. “We are not in the business of selling T-shirts,” he said.

Greed and Goodie Bags

Ah ... It’s nice to know greed is alive and well in L.A. Kiehl’s, the 150-year-old apothecary company based in New York, hosted the first real L.A. fashion bash since the terrorist attacks.

The scene at Barneys Greengrass in Beverly Hills terrace Wednesday was like trick-or-treat for adults. More than 100 guests (including China Chow, Anna Getty, Mena Suvari, Nikka Costa and Rashida Jones) were given shopping bags to fill to their hearts’ content with bottles of cucumber bath wash, mango face scrub and the like, piled high on shelves and free for the taking. The bubbly and bruschetta went largely untouched as the stilletoed set pushed and shoved to get to the goods. “It’s a madhouse here,” one woman said.

The event, originally scheduled for Sept. 13 kicked off Kiehl’s weeklong, 150-year anniversary tour. A portion of sales will be donated to the Sept. 11 Fund.

Donations Dry Up

The huge success of fund-raisers for Sept. 11 charities is making it difficult for some groups to secure contributions to other causes, such as breast cancer. October traditionally is when charities make a coordinated push to raise money to combat the No. 2 killer of women.

“We are all deeply affected by the Sept. 11 tragedy, but we have taken a huge hit,” said Kaye Popofsky, president of Step Up Women’s Network. “This is the biggest fund-raising month for breast cancer, and it’s a shame because the numbers are increasing every year.” Her group is hosting “Breathe,” a breast cancer benefit concert Oct. 27 featuring Seal, Third Eye Blind, Lil’ Kim and others at the Greek Theatre. Tickets are $43 to $128, available through Ticketmaster.

Step Up Women’s Network also is joining forces with Friends of the Breast Program at UCLA Saturday for Fashion for the Cure. Renee Zellweger, Mariel Hemingway and other celebs are expected to gather for a fashion show of Diane von Furstenberg’s fall collection. All proceeds from sales of the collection that day will go to the Revlon/UCLA Breast Cancer Center. In addition, Ron Herman is donating proceeds from all DVF sales Saturday at his Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Brentwood stores.

Shoe designer Stuart Weitzman asked Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Allison Janney, Cindy Crawford, Gwyneth Paltrow and others each to decorate a high-heeled pump to auction on EBay to raise funds for breast cancer. Bids are open through Oct. 29.

A&F; Cancels Issue

Abercrombie & Fitch on Wednesday canceled the holiday issue of its quarterly catalog because its racy tone is inappropriate after the attacks.