The fashion house Lanvin took a curious step yesterday both in associating itself with art as a way to transcend the perceived ephemerality of the trendy clothing business—and in its choice to show an unknown work they believe to be by Constantin Brancusi (video above.) Women’s Wear Daily details the event:

Explaining the vision behind the initiative, which marks a new direction for the French fashion house under majority owner Shaw-Lan Wang, Druz criticized the fashion system’s emphasis on novelty.

“To me, sincere art is making a man elegant and a woman beautiful,” he said. “But it has to be comfortable and reflect the times too, not transform people into freaks. I think people are getting sick of that. We value the notions of comfort and luxury. If you need to show something new four times a year, that’s excessive.”

Drawing a comparison with Yves Saint Laurent’s designs, inspired by artists like Piet Mondrian, Druz said Lanvin would be incorporating art into its clothing collections going forward. “We are going to try to show that a luxury house is not just [based on] marketing,” the executive said.

Lanvin’s New CEO Wants to Bolster Ties With Art  (WWD)