Aug 30,2002 /FWD/ --- When downtown, independent designers Liz Collins and Gary Graham met two years ago while manning booths opposite each other at the Workshop Trade Show at the Chelsea Market, it was -- as Collins tells it -- "as though we had been friends for years."

"We just had a connection. Our designs aren't necessarily the same style, but they have the same aesthetic ... and we just started talking about working together."

The two soon found themselves up until all hours in Graham's Tribeca studio piecing together elaborate, uncensored, unpredictable clothing -- the kind that results when two highly-creative individuals begin to "share a dialogue."

And the result is "Griz," a collection of 10 couture pieces that will debut during New York Fashion Week, directly following Collins' and Graham's own ready-to-wear collections.

Based on the idea of the design duo as two young children who stumble upon old trunks full of clothes in grandma's attic and decide to tear them up and re-create them into ballgowns, Griz's Spring 2003 collection is rich and raw and not unlike what one would expect when you meld Collins' love of ripped and re-stitched knits and Graham's proclivity towards things romantically deconstructed.

"I'd say Bjork would be the ideal client," muses Collins. "It's fashion intended for strong editorials or performances - it's not exactly practical clothing. You wouldn't go to a party and sit in a chair in one of the pieces and be comfortable."

The fact that the client is secondary to the creation is exactly the point.

In order to explore their creativity they had to cast aside the collection's marketability.

Consequently, the clothing is not for sale, but it's not necessarily purely for show.

"We'll take special requests, and custom make the pieces for clients," assures Collins, "It's just that it hasn't been our main consideration."

As for whether they are considering continuing the label beyond its spring 2003 collection, Collins can't confirm anything.

"It's an experiment. I know people will love it and want to see more of it, and I know there's a place for it - but I can't predict anything beyond that."

Griz will be presented Friday, September 20th, at 4:00PM, at the Metropolitan Pavilion located at 123 West 18th St.