Worn in the U.S.A. : On the Streets and in Boutiques, All-American Clothes Flag Down Buyers

“I ride an American bike. I buy American clothes. I wear an American flag,” said Jim Patton. The grizzled biker from Orange County had a crisp new flag bandanna tied on his head. He was just one in an unofficial parade of patriots recently seen cruising Melrose Avenue.

Local stores are featuring flag-decorated apparel and accessories, and people are buying them to show their support for U.S. soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf. But most of it was designed and produced last year in response to other events, such as the reunification of Germany and the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down a federal law that outlawed flag burning.

Just after the high court ruling last summer, Paul Cancelli of Camicia designed and produced more than 1 million flag-printed rayon shirts. Since the Gulf War broke out last month, he has received orders for 2 million more.

The fall of the Berlin Wall inspired Maggie Barry and Stephen Walker of Van Buren, a Los Angeles sportswear company, to design a stars- and stripes-decorated collection last September. The line arrived in stores three weeks ago, and some items, including an $800 leather jacket, have already sold out at H. Lorenzo in Sunset Plaza.

The flag sweaters now prominently featured in Nordstrom stores are from the Perry Ellis America line, which regularly includes flag motifs. Ralph Lauren also uses the flag in his designs and a new shipment of flag sweaters arrived this week at the Polo Shop in Beverly Hills.

Other manufacturers are playing catch up, with T-shirt and accessory manufacturers managing the quickest turnarounds.

Within days of the first allied bombings of Iraq, street vendor Chris Ameruso had set up shop at the corner of La Brea and Franklin avenues to hawk his Desert Storm T-shirts. He says he sells more than four dozen of each of his five styles every weekend. Ameruso says he will donate half of his proceeds to the USO.

Promises of financial donations are a recurring theme among the vendors and merchants profiting from war-related items.

Ciro, a New York-based company with 35 U.S. stores, including one in Beverly Hills, is donating the profits from the sale of two different American flag pins to the American Red Cross. The model with 13 stars sells for $20, the 50-star version for $30. More than 1,000 have been sold in the last 10 days nationwide.

The company, established in 1917, is an old hand at war efforts. During World War II, Ciro sold war bonds three days a week and jewelry the other three.