Bernie Sanders mittens
Sen. Bernie Sanders wore mittens made by a Vermont teacher.
Drew Angerer/Staff/Getty Images
  • Sen. Bernie Sanders wore mittens to today’s inauguration.
  • The mittens were made in Vermont out of recycled materials.
  • They were a gift to Sanders from a Vermont teacher. 
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While much of the Inauguration Day fashion chatter has centered on the memorable outfits worn by Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden, and former first lady Michelle Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders made a fashion statement of his own with his adorable, sustainably-made mittens.

When Sen. Sanders walked to his seat at this morning’s inauguration ceremony, viewers at home noticed (and loved) his weather-appropriate, classic brown-and-white mittens. But Sanders has had the now-famous winter accessory for quite a while.

The mittens have made several appearances in recent years. They were spotted on Sanders’ hands as he campaigned for president himself. They even generated enough buzz in January 2020 to warrant a Twitter account of their own: @BerniesMittens.

While many social media users simply appreciated how on-brand the functional and unfancy mittens were for the Vermont senator’s casual style, there’s a more personal story behind how he got them. 

A Vermont teacher gave Sanders the homemade mittens

Buzzfeed News political reporter Ruby Cramer pointed out on Twitter that Jen Ellis, a teacher from Essex Junction, Vermont, gifted Sanders a pair of her sustainably-made mittens several years ago.

Ellis told Vermont alt-weekly newspaper Seven Days in January 2020 that Sanders' daughter-in-law, Liza Driscoll, ran her daughter's daycare. The craftswoman had made mittens as a gift to all the teachers one year and added in an extra pair for Sanders. She first spotted Sanders wearing them publicly in December 2019.

"I just put in a little note that was like, 'I believe in you, I've always believed in you and I hope you run again,'" Ellis told Seven Days. "And now he is running again, and he apparently is wearing the mittens that I made for him!"

When she saw Sanders wearing her mittens, Ellis tweeted out a message explaining where they came from and how she made them.

According to Ellis, the mittens are made with repurposed wool sweaters and an inner layer of fleece lining made from recycled plastic bottles.

Ellis didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Inauguration Day watchers tweeted their love for the mittens

Back in 2020 when people first started tweeting about the mittens, Ellis tweeted her thanks for the words of support she received.

 

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