I'm Jen Gay, Seattle designer and seamstress. After moving from Rhode Island 20 years ago, I started making wedding gowns and opened my bridal shop, Cicada. For fun I began making mittens out of thrift store sweaters. While hunting for cool sweaters, I also began picking up quality old leather jackets.
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I love making mittens and purses from recycled materials, and in 2018 I retired from bridal and started selling Kitten Mittens and Fringe Vintage Leather at Pike Place Market and in local boutiques. Coastal Masks was not something I ever would have imagined adding to my business, but I'm so grateful I've been able to help my community get through the pandemic.
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The two most important things to me as a business owner are high-quality construction and sustainability. Animals are also very important to me, and when I started making Kitten Mittens I began donating a portion of my profits to paws.org. I adopted my cat Mercy from there and was touched by their hard work rescuing animals. As my business has grown, so have my contributions and this year I am donating to more animal rescue non-profits that are doing amazing work.
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Have cashmere sweaters or leather jackets to donate? I'd love them!