We're hearing a lot about the steady flow of federal stimulus money coming into Maine. Add to that "fashion stimulus," although it's not coming from Washington, D.C. It's the brainchild of a new clothing boutique in Portland which takes old clothes and redesigns them into completely new creations.

When Jennifer Greenlaw was laid off from her corporate finance position at Fairchild Semiconductor last winter, she decided it was time to fulfill a lifelong dream: to open a clothing boutique.

"I consignment shopped regularly," she says. "Loved it. And this is kind of a dream I've always had and the layoff gave me that opportunity to pursue something that I wanted to do much more than finance."

So Greenlaw opened Nova G. But what makes her business stand out from other consignment boutiques is that it also takes clothes that are either outdated or worn out, and recycles them into entirely new garments. The idea was brought to fruition on a chance meeting with a woman named Holly Cooper.

"I ran into Holly at my girlfriend's boutique prior to it closing, and she had this amazing jacket on," Greenlaw says. "And I commented on her jacket and she had said that she designed it herself. And I was having all I could do not to jump out of my skin, really, and say 'Oh my God, I'm starting this business, you've got to join me!'"

Greenlaw convinced Cooper to sell her designs in the store. In the front, before the racks of sweaters and suits and other consignment wares, are several large displays of so-called Holly originals.

Cooper's creations are mostly jackets and blazers. They're bright and bold and made from salvaged fabrics. They're adorned with buttons, bows, neckties and ribbon, and come in a wide range of sizes. No two are alike.

"This I received through a donation," Cooper says of a black and white jacket. "The first thing I did is I stripped the buttons from the jacket."

Cooper recently finished the jacket, which was inspired by her love of military style. "So this piece, I used what is elastic ribbing that you would use for any type of elastic sewing, or waistbands, and I ribboned the elastic in a military style, sweeping it back and forth across the jacket on both sides of the jacket."

Cooper works full-time at an insurance company and designs for Nova G. in her spare time. "There was a time in my life where I made quite a good living and so I only shopped couture - it would be at Bloomingdales, or Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom's and I would buy Donna Karan couture," she says. "And the fact that I spent $1,200 on a jacket, well, somebody else has the same piece. So I was trying to incorporate that sense of wanting a one-of-a-kind couture piece into a green feel, into a recycled feel. So that's what my pieces represent, the strong fashion of couture mixed with being green."

Greenlaw says, so far, business at Nova G. has been growing steadily. Consumers are attracted to buying high-quality merchandise at a fraction of the original cost. They also have a financial incentive to sell, consign or donate unused or unwanted items.

The National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops reports that in 2009, 67 percent of its members saw an increase in sales over the previous year. The association says the number of consignment shops is on the rise nationwide because consignors own the clothing until it's sold, so store owners such as Greenlaw don't have to tie up cash in inventory.

"With Holly's designs I think, in conjunction with the consignment, it brings the store full circle, because most of the people that come in will say to me, 'Jenn, if this doesn't sell, give it to Holly and maybe she can give it a new life.'"

Greenlaw says she hopes her store will serve as a fashion stimulus for the greater Portland area. Nova G. is located at 736 Forest Ave. in Portland.