The case for mindful AI

Let's talk about the elephant in the room. We understand that some of you may have reservations about using AI for creative content. If we wanted to be unserious, we would have added an AI-generated image of an elephant showering with Mr Macha soap in a forest pond. However, that would be a waste of resources, and as a founder first, brand second, we are not about that life. 

We have spent a lot of our time handcrafting recipes, packaging, and letters to early customers (shout-out to the buyers of our cotton tees!). We have had a ‘soap cupboard’ for the last two years, which has hosted a variety of equipment and ingredients as we cooked up some recipes to test on ourselves and any willing friends. We repurposed craft materials to create packaging, and are currently also working on plastic-free packaging ideas that can weather the variety of climates our nation has to offer. 

So why then do you see AI models wearing our very human-made t-shirts?

Short answer - cost effectiveness. We are a boot-strapped company getting on our feet with minimal resources to start - just a vision and the drive to achieve it. We knew we were not going to compromise on product quality, whether that is in our initial T-shirt launch, or final soaps. We want to give you the finest ingredients money can buy - but we need to do a bit of marketing to get there.

So we racked our brains and came to a conclusion - we will use AI-generated content where required to market our product, always making it clear in what capacity we have used it. We don't want to fool you, but we want to illustrate our products to you to show their full potential. Side-by-side, we are working with real people: friends who are artists, animators, writers, and marketers, who are currently getting paid in soaps, shirts, and a guest bedroom whenever they need it. Mr Macha is not just a soap made by a guy - it is the collective effort of many creative minds in our network. But there is only so much time we can borrow from our friends - so AI helps bridge the gap until we can set out a dedicated marketing budget!

We wanted to ensure complete transparency because that's what we are all about. Mr Macha will never compromise on the quality of ingredients in our products - the most important one being time. We save some time now, to spend on curing the upcoming drop and get your hands soapy as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we want to thank some of the creatives who have loaned their expertise to Mr Macha so far!

Ezgi is an illustrator and graphic designer based in Glasgow, Scotland. Besides complaining about the cold, she creates award-winning short films, merchandise for big brands like KFC and experiments with printmaking techniques. You can check out her work at https://ezgioz.com.

Indraneil is an industrial designer and engineer based in Glasgow, Scotland. With a focus on playfulness and emotions, he creates sustainable products that are ready for the market. You can check out his projects at https://indraneilghosh.com.

Shubhankar is no stranger to the hustle. Apart from working a full-time sales job, Shubhu also runs his own AI-enabled social media marketing agency and moonlights as an actor - most famous for his sensational edutainment content for Mr Macha. You can check out his latest projects here linkedin.com/in/shubhankar-chaudhary