Muitomas has turned Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan’s Porta Nuova into a colourful micro‑universe from 18–31 May, with a 20 sqm pop up that uses a Rubik’s Cube concept, giveaways and a viral “Magic Credit Card Wand” to turn product discovery into play. Managed end to end by Pardgroup, the activation is designed to move people from simple visibility to hands on engagement with the brand’s full range, including an exclusive yellow capsule.
A Rubik’s Cube inspired pop up in Piazza Gae Aulenti
The Muitomas pop up sits right in the heart of Piazza Gae Aulenti, one of Milan’s most high traffic, design driven squares in the Porta Nuova district. Over 20 sqm, the space is structured like a three dimensional Rubik’s Cube, with modular displays and coloured blocks that echo the puzzle’s endless possible combinations.
Porta Nuova’s official event page describes it as a space where visitors can “discover the infinite possibilities and combinations of objects you can find,” tapping into Muitomas’ mix and match approach to accessories and small goods. The cube metaphor neatly mirrors the brand’s focus on customisation and self expression.
Full collection plus an exclusive yellow capsule
Inside the cube, Muitomas showcases its full collection, with special focus on an exclusive yellow capsule developed just for this Milan stop. The colour story is aligned with the bright, optimistic palette of the pop up itself, making the yellow edits natural visual anchors within the space.
The layout is conceived to encourage exploration rather than linear browsing: different “faces” of the cube reveal different categories and combinations, inviting visitors to rotate through the offer the way you’d turn a Rubik’s Cube.
Community engagement: cotton candy, giveaways and a Magic Wand
To make the activation feel more like a micro event than a static shop, Muitomas and Pardgroup have layered in several engagement mechanics:
- Targeted giveaways, tied to on site participation and likely social sharing, reward visitors who interact with the brand beyond just browsing.
- Weekend cotton candy experiencesbring a funfair note to the square, especially on high traffic days, helping attract families and younger passers by into the cube.
- A special gift for the most loyal customers: the trending “Magic Credit Card Wand,”a device shaped like a wand that holds a payment card and taps into a wider Gen Z meme around paying “by magic.”
That last element is particularly canny: credit card wands and “tap to pay” magic tricks have been circulating on TikTok and YouTube, and Muitomas turns that into a physical, branded object that rewards repeat customers and social natives.
Porta Nuova as an urban stage
Porta Nuova and Piazza Gae Aulenti have become regular hosts for design forward pop ups and open air experiences, often tied to Milan Design Week and fashion calendar moments. By choosing this location, Muitomas places itself in a context associated with innovation, contemporary culture and lifestyle brands, gaining:
- Constant footfallfrom office workers, residents and tourists moving through the square.
- A photogenic backdrop of skyscrapers, fountains and installations that naturally supports social content creation.
The official Porta Nuova listing frames the pop up as part of the district’s broader programming, inviting visitors to “come to this space inspired by the Rubik’s Cube and discover the endless possibilities and combinations of objects you can find.”
Pardgroup’s role: from concept to on site activation
Retail services agency Pardgroup notes that it managed the project end to end, from the initial creative concept through design, production and on site activation. The agency specialises in high end windows, pop ups and in store branding for premium and luxury brands, and here it:
- Translated the Rubik’s Cubeidea into a functional 20 sqm structure that can display product, host experiences and handle traffic.
- Coordinated logistics, installation and live operations for the two week run, ensuring consistency across giveaways, cotton candy moments and the distribution of the Magic Credit Card Wands.
The result is a compact, high impact space that behaves more like an urban playground than a traditional booth aligning with the brief to turn visibility into engagement, and engagement into connection.
