One Ocean One Love - Profile from 2023 Greater Cape Ann Guide & Directory
If you’ve ever doubted that you could change the world by simply doing what you love, you are about to be inspired. Two of the most powerful change-makers on Cape Ann are not found in its boardrooms or behind a desk. Jamie Mathison and her sister Sarah Steward are changing the world, one t-shirt and Seabin at a time.
Jamie conceived of One Ocean One Love in 2014 while working her dream job at the New England Aquarium. “I loved what I did. I was fortunate enough to work with seals and sea lions. It was a lot of fun and I loved talking with the visitors afterwards, especially the kids. It’s what I wanted to do ever since my first trip to Sea World when I was six.” While working at the Aquarium, Jamie was passionate about instilling in visitors—especially kids—the responsibility we all bear in keeping the ocean clean and healthy. “It was the message behind the training sessions and the sea lion shows. How to keep sea creatures safe.”
“Our mission is to connect people and cultures through positive and mutually beneficial relationships.”
As Jamie, now 37, was contemplating her next career move, she knew she’d remain committed to the ocean and sea life. She always had a penchant for making art and graphic tees and one day “just started block printing, making my own blocks, stamping them on shirts and started [selling] on Etsy.… I also did this in farmers markets for a year then a retail location popped up.” That’s when Sarah, now 29, entered the picture. Visiting her big sister in Gloucester evolved into much more than a vacation. Together, the sisters forged a solid business model combining their collective talents for art-making, admin, marketing, and thinking big. And thus, the dream was born with the opening of One Ocean’s Rockport location, in, of course, an original fishing shanty, and its Gloucester-based art and fulfillment studio. A year into the business, Sarah decided to remain on Cape Ann indefinitely. The sisters are best friends—like-minded, driven, and devoted to their business and its higher cause. “Sarah does everything, basically, and it allows me to just print all day. We get along very well—we balance each other out,” says Jamie.
At the heart of One Ocean One Love is the core belief that we are all responsible for our environment, and by being mindful of this and making a few conscious decisions in our daily life, we can preserve the planet and contribute to a cleaner ocean and a more habitable planet. Every aspect of Jamie’s and Sarah’s lives revolves around the belief that they are making a positive impact with every t-shirt and sweatshirt. And it’s not just about the imprinted message—it’s ingrained within their business practice. Eco-friendly water-based inks are used for printing; they partner with Green Certified businesses for materials; they compost all food waste; and all clothing tags, shopping bags, etc., are recycled and/or compostable. Five percent of One Ocean’s net profits are donated to ocean preservation organizations such as the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, Surf Rider, The Seabin Project, among others. (A Seabin is a cross between a pool skimmer and a trash can and captures plastic waste.) Jamie is particularly drawn to sharks. “The presence of sharks is a true sign of a healthy ocean. They are not the monsters people paint them to be. They’re a huge part of our ecosystem.” A popular One Ocean tee reads: “Respect the Locals,” with an image of a shark. The sisters also founded their own non-profit CAMP—Cape Ann Marine Partnership—dedicated to eradicating marine pollution through the purchase of marine skimmers and Seabins. You will also find Jamie and Sarah walking Cape Ann’s beaches with their dogs, collecting litter and other debris and organizing coastal clean-ups. Another tee reminds us we’re amongst “Mermaids—Don’t Pollute.”
Open April to December in Rockport and with a burgeoning online store and increasing wholesale accounts, One Ocean One Love is riding quite the wave. Sales are so strong; the sisters will grow their support staff. “It’s just too much volume for one person [to produce]. It’s a really great problem to have.” With a five-year plan in motion, these sisters are unstoppable. Don’t think for one second that you can’t change the world.
