‘Bernie mittens’ maker explains how Sanders got the now world-famous attire

(NewsNation Now) — The now-iconic mittens Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wore to the Inauguration Wednesday have sold out, according to the mitten maker.

Vermont teacher Jen Ellis skyrocketed to social media fame Wednesday after Sanders was spotted wearing the striped mittens she makes by hand. Ellis crafts the mittens from repurposed wool sweaters and lines them with fleece from recycled plastic bottles.

Thanks for all the interest in Bernie's mittens! It truly has been an amazing and historic day! I'm so flattered that Bernie wore them to the inauguration. Sadly, I have no more mittens for sale. There are a lot of great crafters on ETSY who make them. -Jen Ellis,
— Jen Ellis (@vtawesomeness) January 21, 2021

But there’s bad news for people looking to copy Sanders’ sartorial choices. The mittens were completely sold out as of 4:29 p.m. PST Wednesday — just hours after Sanders wore them to the Inauguration.

Sen. Bernie Sanders wears mittens at Biden’s inauguration.(Photo by Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

In a Twitter post, Ellis thanked her followers “for all the interest in Bernie’s mittens.” She encouraged people looking to score a similar pair to check the crafters’ website Etsy.

Ellis told NewsNation affiliate WFFF-TV that she used to make and sell them at craft fairs. She said she made the mittens as a gift for Bernie Sanders two years ago but has never met him in person. Ellis said she felt honored to see one of her role models wear her mittens on such a significant day.

“I made the mittens for him specifically and sent them to him through his daughter-in-law with a note that said, ‘I hope you run again’ and he did, which surprised me,” said Ellis.

Ellis says she doesn’t plan on selling her mittens anymore, but she is honored that Bernie Sanders chose them for the historic occasion.

Per Vogue, Sanders even wore the mittens to the Women’s March in Portsmouth, New Hampshire last January.

When asked by CBS about his Wednesday fashion choices, Sanders had a characteristically frank answer: “In Vermont we dress warm, we know something about the cold,” he said. “And we’re not so concerned about good fashion. We want to keep warm. And that’s what I did today.”

The mittens not only sold out in their original form, but a “Chairman Sanders” crewneck sweatshirt listed on the Bernie Campaign Store website featuring the memeified image of the mitten-clad senator is sold out, as well, though the store notes, “due to overwhelming demand, this item is temporarily sold out. Please check back soon.”

All the proceeds of the crewneck, the online store said, go to Meals on Wheels Vermont.