The mittens worn by Bernie Sanders at the inauguration ceremony have been made using recycled plastic bottles.

Bernie Sanders' mittens were made by a supporter and teacher, using repurposed wool sweaters and recycled plastic bottles.

Bernie Sanders' mittens were made by a supporter and teacher, using repurposed wool sweaters and recycled plastic bottles.On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. At the ceremony, Senator Bernie Sanders was spotted wearing brown and white mittens made with a chevron pattern. Sanders' casual outfit, along with his unbothered expression, has become a popular meme, and went viral online immediately.

BuzzFeed news reporter Ruby Cramer wrote on Twitter that Jen Ellis, "a teacher from Essex Junction, Vermont, made Bernie's mittens. She gave them to him 2 years ago, and he started wearing them on the campaign trail". Ellis, a schoolteacher from Vermont, tweeted that a few years ago she made Bernie's mittens as a gift, sharing a snapshot of other identical creations. They are made from wool sweaters repurposed and lined with fleece made from recycled plastic bottles. Ellis reported that 'Liza Driscoll, Sanders' daughter-in-law, ran the daycare for her daughter. The craftswoman made mittens as a gift to all the teachers and added a pair for Sanders'.

Despite numerous requests online from those wishing to purchase the mittens, Ellis confirmed that she would not be reproducing or selling any more, as she would be unable to keep up with the demand. "I hate to disappoint people [..] I am a second grade teacher, and I’m a mom, and all that keeps me really busy. There’s no possible way I could make 6,000 pairs of mittens, and every time I go into my email, another several hundred people have emailed me," she told the Jewish Insider.