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MONO: The Art of One

2023
Artisanal Goods, Lifestyle, Luxury Brand

After a decade of building brands for others, CIA Bootleg Manila turned the lens inward. The result: MONO, our first-ever self-authored brand—created as both a modern Renaissance in branding and a gateway to artisanal cultures.

Project Champions

The Founders and Team of CIA Bootleg Manila

Project Manager for Project A

Project Manager for Project A

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Overview

Rebirthing Bootleg Through a Soulful, Design-Forward Brand

It began in Florence. On a spring holiday, Bootleg partners found themselves walking the same streets as Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, and the Medici—asking:

“What is Bootleg’s renaissance as we enter our second decade?”

The trip sparked something deeper: a desire to create—not just build brands for others, but birth one of our own. A brand grounded in story, soul, and substance.

Our Solution

✨ Inspiration Finding

• Explored food psychology, luxury culture, and human connection

• Interviewed and met makers who mirrored our values

• Identified a white space in the Philippine market for soulful, crafted luxury

• Immersed in Renaissance principles of depth, beauty, intention, and mastery

➡️ The insight: Bootleg shouldn’t just build brands. We should create one.
➡️ The big idea: A brand that celebrates craftsmanship and culture through food and lifestyle.

💡 Ideating

We named it, shaped it, gave it voice:

MONO: One story. One craft. One standard.

At its core was singularity:

• One product per category

• One artisan family per product

• One partner per cuisine or concept

We worked with Brandyard to craft a visual identity inspired by:

Japanese shodō × Italian gothic calligraphy: precision + grandeur

Mafia meets Yakuza: bold, disciplined, mysterious

Interlocking M’s: fusing East and West, past and present into one symbol of strength

A brand built on focus, intention, and reverence.

🧪 Incubating

We set the table—twice.

1. A private tasting with the late, great Chef Margarita Forés, joined by our founding collaborators.

2. A secret VIP dinner at Lusso Greenbelt with Bootleg’s closest clients and select press.

Then, we returned to Florence—to walk the olive groves, pasta fields, and balsamic attics.
We met every partner face-to-face, learning their craft, culture, and codes, filming their stories, and turning them into a video love letter.
The trip was a pilgrimage.

🛠️ Implementing

As of June 2025—MONO is live

✅ Full product line in stock

✅ New website launched: mono.ph

✅ Drops, dinners, and collaborations incoming

From Florence to Manila, this is more than a brand.
It’s a movement. A method. A rebirth.

What We Did

• Brand creation using Bootleg’s Innovation Framework

• Insight mining using psychology, design history, and field immersion

• Brand strategy and narrative

• Name and brand architecture

• Identity design brief and co-creation with Brandyard

• Product sourcing and founder partnerships

• Event design and experience scripting

• Launch strategy and storytelling

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