Katrina Lottimore wouldn’t think twice about wearing a sequinned evening gown over combat boots.

She’s encouraging other women to be a little more fearless with their dress sense as well.

The 40-year-old has started a line of recycled jewellery and clothing called Factory 44.

What she does is popularly called upcycling — she takes pieces found at thrift stores and yard sales and transforms them into something new.

Her one-of-a-kind pieces have caught the eye of teenagers and senior citizens.

“It’s all walks of life, all ages and backgrounds,” she said. “My taste is very broad and I can cater to everyone. A lot of youth are into finding something different and don’t want to be dressed like everyone else and you would be surprised by how many of them are into thrifting. It’s such a trend.

“Even if you look in stores here, they are selling reincarnations of things that people used to wear decades ago.”

She’s loved the thrill of ‘treasure hunting’ ever since she was a little girl.

“My mom used to take me to The Barn when it was really in a barn — that’s showing my age, but it’s okay,” she said. “I would go to a yard sale and find things that other people didn’t want or were throwing away.

“I used to be amazed at things I would find — vintage pieces, jewellery, baby dolls, clothes, shoes and even books.

“I’d take it, clean it back up and make it into something new based on what I found. It’s still exciting for me to this day.”

One of her early finds was a beautiful silver and gold eagle brooch, which she turned into a bracelet.

She’s also turned old jeans into repurposed handbags and layered old or broken necklaces to create a statement piece of jewellery.

“I’m definitely not afraid to try something new,” she said. “That’s how I came up with the tutu dress.

“I found the bejewelled top and wanted to pair it with a tutu. I am a bigger girl and it’s hard to find a tutu in my size, so from there I said ‘I’m going to make my own’.

“I Googled and Youtubed about it and everything went down from there. It’s all hand done, so no sewing machine was used, and people love it.”

When she’s not creating her own pieces, she lends fashion advice to friends. “That’s my thing,” she said.

“I will see an item and then picture the whole outfit in my head and imagine what they can do with it.”

Mrs Lottimore insists she was shy and lacked confidence for a short period as a preteen. She quickly learned to express herself through fashion.

“Whatever I’m feeling for that day, that’s what I wear,” she said. “If it’s Wednesday at 9am in the morning and I want to wear a sequinned dress I will do it and feel no way about it whatsoever. I will pair that evening gown with a denim jacket and some boots. I’ve always been this way.

“Nowadays, you see all these different eclectic looks in fashion magazines. I feel like they finally caught me up.

“Not trying to be boasty, but I’m known for that. It’s definitely from that punk era when people felt more free to wear whatever they wanted to wear.”

Her advice to people is to think outside the box when it comes to style.

“Nobody is promised tomorrow, which explains my philosophy for wearing my sequinned dress in the morning,” she said.

“I do dress within reason when I’m going to work, but in my own time I try not to hold back.”

She encouraged women not to be afraid of sampling different colours, styles and silhouettes. “It doesn’t hurt to go in the dressing room and just try it on,” she said. “Use that mirror and see if you like it.”

Follow Factory 44 on Facebook and Instagram.