NEW YORK – American fashion designers are launching an advertising and public-relations initiative to try to revive retail sales in time for the critical Christmas season

Tomorrow, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, a 241-member trade group, will launch “Fashion for America: Shop to show your support,” a public-relations campaign aimed at getting consumers back into the shopping habit.

A council spokeswoman confirmed that in addi-tion to a print-ad campaign, its members – who include designers such as Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren – will do in-store appearances to try to help draw traffic. The council will also sell a special T-shirt ($22.50) with proceeds going to Sept. 11 relief funds. 

The T-shirt and its “Mended Heart” logo is designed by Peter Arnell/Arnell Group. “On September 11, my heart broke. Since then, I have been working, like many, many people and organizations, to help ease the pain and suffering of families and assist in Ground Zero recovery and operations efforts. Every day, as I go about this and my daily life, my heart mends, little by little. This design reflects the healing process that each and every one of us will go through in our own way in order to move forward in life with fortitude, resolve and hope,” stated Peter Arnell.

The effort comes even as retail traffic has rebounded somewhat since it ground to a halt on Sept. 11. Still, sales are lower than expected, and it’s shaping up to be “the worst Christmas in memory,” says Carl Steidtmann, chief economist of Deloitte Research. After Sept. 11, he lowered his fourth-quarter projections for retail sales to be flat – instead of up 3% – compared with a year ago. Last year, U.S. retail sales of apparel and footwear alone totaled about $322 billion. The CFDA campaign is expected to wrap its message around patriotism, suggesting that the best way for consumers to demonstrate their patriotism is to go shopping, especially on the day after Thanksgiving. That day, called “Black Friday” in the retail trade, marks the traditional start of the holiday shopfest.