National Clothesline

The National Cleaners Association presented the Liz Claiborne clothing line with its 2006 Cleaners Choice Award in recognition of the garment manufacturer’s excellence in customer service, care labeling and quality control.

“This is the first time we are presenting this award,” said association director Nora Nealis, “and it’s our hope that the professional cleaning industry’s recognition of the Liz Claiborne brand and all it stands for will serve as a standard of excellence for other garment manufacturers.”

The New York City-based professional cleaners’ trade association, owns and operates the National Center for Garment Analysis that analyzes thousands of garments and household items for serviceability and care labeling concerns and reaches out to a broad spectrum of manufacturers, sub-contractors, licensors and licensees as part of its work.

According to Alan Spielvogel, NCA’s technical director, superior manufacturers like Liz Claiborne have both care testing procedures and dedicated customer service departments in place and are the most approachable regarding any isolated aftermarket issues that may occur. They are also quick to take whatever action is necessary to ensure long-term customer satisfaction with their products, he said.

“These factors were all part of the scoring matrix the nominating committee used in selecting the award nominees,” said Spielvogel.

“Even if everything is 99 99é100 percent perfect, given the untold thousands of garments manufactured, there’s still going to be a few problems out there. It was important to us that we also consider a company’s position regarding after-purchase service,” explained Spielvogel.

The deciding vote as to the winner of the Cleaners Choice Award winner was made by NCA members nationwide who, when surveyed, selected the Liz Claiborne care label as the one they, as professional cleaners, have the most confidence in. The association believes this trust is due in large part to the testing procedures the company subjects its garments to before preparing the care label, and the investment the firm makes in the continuing education of their quality assurance and testing staff.

“You’d be surprised how many companies don’t take the time to develop testing protocols, are unaware of the changes in practice in the cleaning industry that effect processing or try to hide behind hang tags that advise the customer to expect fading and color loss as a natural part of the care process,” commented Spielvogel.

According to Nealis, a company like Liz Claiborne is special in the world of professional cleaners because of what it does behind the scenes and out of the limelight.

“We thought it was time that an organization like ours, that knows who the ‘good guys’ are, gave them the public recognition and esteem they so richly deserve. Hopefully, it will spur other manufacturers to become more responsible in the quality of garments they produce, the care label instructions they provide and the after service they offer.”