Hongjoong – Petit Coussin

When Memory Becomes Design

Reviewed by Vera Von Monika

Hongjoong's Petit Coussin feels like the natural continuation of a story he's been writing for years - not through words or melodies this time, but through fabric. The title carries intimacy: petit coussin, "little cushion" in French, borrowed from his mother's children's-wear shop - the earliest space where he learned what texture and patience meant. That he chose his birthday to unveil this collection feels intentional - a gift not only to himself, but to the creative lineage that shaped him. It's remembrance transformed into design, a dialogue between the boy who watched his mother sew and the man now shaping worlds of his own.

For followers of ATEEZ, this debut doesn't appear out of nowhere. Hongjoong has always been the group's creative nucleus - the mind behind its visual architecture and conceptual rhythm. Every ATEEZ era, from the cinematic ferocity of HALAZIA to the poetic symmetry of Not Okay, has carried his fingerprint: disciplined chaos, romantic precision, rebellion rendered elegant. Those instincts now surface in Petit Coussin, where narrative becomes tactile.

The twenty-four looks unfold like a four-act film - dawn to night - each act containing six pieces that mirror changing light and mood. Instead of neutral minimalism, the palette embraces warmth and whimsy: blended tones between marigold and clay, fabrics that hold both structure and tenderness. Embroidered jackets shimmer with quiet storytelling; tulle skirts float like memory; military-style outerwear gleams with crystalline restraint; two-piece sets balance discipline with movement. Headwear - always central to Hongjoong's aesthetic - punctuates the collection, grounding it unmistakably in his visual DNA.

It is technically a children's capsule, yet conceptually it speaks to creative freedom. Hongjoong doesn't design for children as scaled-down adults, he designs for the unfiltered imagination that adults spend their lives trying to reclaim. Rather than a product line, the collection unfolds more like an artistic statement - a showcase of memory and craft, not something meant for sale. The runway - a sand-toned playground - becomes a symbol of that lost purity. He builds a world where luxury is sincerity, not spectacle.

In his own words: "Petit Coussin is my first step into fashion. It's about the tension between youth and growth, and chaos and calm." That duality pulses through every seam. You can almost hear his internal metronome - rhythm, pause, crescendo - the same timing that defines his music now dictating the breath of fabric.

Unlike most celebrity ventures, Petit Coussin doesn't chase validation or borrow vocabulary. It builds its own - playful yet poised, colorful yet composed. Each look feels balanced, not branded. There's quiet confidence in the restraint: no logos, no gimmicks, only an emotional clarity that reveals maturity.

For someone who has long communicated in performance, this debut shows another dimension of fluency. The stage demanded grandeur; the atelier rewards intimacy. Petit Coussin proves he commands both. It's not about an idol turning designer - it's an artist extending his language, refining ATEEZ's intensity into tenderness.

Petit Coussin isn’t nostalgia, it’s continuation - the sound of fabric remembering its first breath, the silence after applause when art still lingers in the air.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) — tender, visionary, and unmistakably his own.