Industry observers see Pop Mart's rise in Italy as part of the broader guochao (China-chic) movement, which merges traditional Chinese motifs with contemporary designs. Italian media have remarked that the company's visual language "shares the same frequency" as Milan's fashion culture, allowing a once-niche toy to leap into the mainstream.

From crowd-controlled queues to online "winning" opportunities for purchasing slots, it seems that Labubu has become part of Milan's culture. The craze highlights three intersecting forces in the city — a growing appetite for "ugly-cute "aesthetics, a hunger for open-ended storytelling, and a desire for social participation through collecting and sharing.

While Labubu leads the charge, Pop Mart is betting on a broader mix of characters and more collaborations to keep Italian fans engaged. For the brand, Milan is both a market and a message: proof that Chinese pop culture can thrive in a dialogue with Italy's fashion-driven identity.

Back on Corso Buenos Aires, the shop sees fresh lines forming each day, consisting of families, students in streetwear and office workers on lunch breaks. Small character dolls move from boxes to hands to social media feeds, weaving a Chinese-created icon into Milan's cultural fabric.