A brand-new perspective.

Ah New York. The sights, the sounds. This city offers up all kinds of images, from glitzy to gritty and everything in between. I travel from San Francisco to New York once or twice a year, and am always amazed when my preconceived notions of the Big Apple and all that it encompasses are challenged. My most recent trip was no exception.

Through all that I had heard about the New York fashion industry, I had formed an opinion that working in this world is nothing short of horrible. If you've read The Devil Wears Prada, the best-selling novel about a put-upon assistant to a high-powered fashion magazine editor, you know what I mean. I was stunned then on my trip to meet a genuinely nice person who seemed actually satisfied in her communication job with a fashion giant, Liz Claiborne. I don't know much about the company, and there's a reason for that: The only designer stuff in my closet appeared there after it was featured on the discount rack of my local outlet mall. One Liz Claiborne item did find its way to me via this route. In any case, this visit with a surprisingly happy employee piqued my interest in the brand.

Liz Claiborne is a real person. She was born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1929, and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rather than finish high school, she went to Europe to study art. She worked as a designer for 25 years before starting her own company in 1976. The firm grew from its origins designing women's sportswear to a billion-dollar enterprise with a full line of clothing and accessories for men and women. She retired from active management in 1989, and the company went on to develop and acquire other brands, including Ellen Tracy, Dana Buchman and Crazy Horse, and labels for the younger consumer, such as DKNY Jeans, Lucky Brand Dungarees and Kenneth Cole.

Now, for all I know there may be 12 unhappy people for this and every other happy Liz Claiborne employee, but this particular person served as an ambassador for her company in a way that was favorable. And I took notice of it in a way that is likely replayed over and over again by employees from other companies to friends and acquaintances all over the world. Here's the point: Employees hold the value of the company in their hands. They can destroy faith in that company with a passing word or create interest with their excitement and commitment.

If a brand is a promise that needs to be carried out by the company, then it's one that employees must not only understand but also commit to both in and outside their jobs. What does your brand mean, do your employees live that experience, and how do they relate it to others? If you want to know more about this, read Mark Schumann's article on branding on page 29. And if you want to see who is doing branding the right way, take a look at our prestigious 2006 Gold Quill Award winners, all featured in this issue, beginning on page 19.

Natasha Spring, Executive Editor