Mr. Flower Fantastic’s decorative designs have become the foundation of an entire creative language. The Queens-based artist has built a distinct visual identity around floral arrangements and installations that blend sculpture, storytelling and cultural commentary. Whether recreating iconic New York imagery through flowers or transforming everyday objects into botanical art pieces, his work consistently explores contrast. There’s softness against chaos, stillness against movement and nature against the nonstop pace of city life. That perspective makes his involvement in Merrell’s “Outside in the City” initiative feel especially natural.
At the center of Merrell’s campaign is the idea that the outdoors doesn’t need to exist far away from urban life. Instead, the program encourages people to rediscover moments of clarity and connection already embedded within their daily routines. It can be neighborhood walks, city parks, unexpected greenery and the simple act of slowing down long enough to see what’s around them. That philosophy mirrors the way Mr. Flower Fantastic approaches New York itself. For him, the city’s outdoor experience isn’t separate from creativity but actively fuels it.
ALEXI PAPPAS
That’s what makes the collaboration resonate. Through Mr. Flower Fantastic’s eyes, New York itself becomes a living outdoor experience — one filled with texture, emotion and unexpected moments of beauty. His work reminds people that stepping outside is sometimes just simply paying closer attention to the life already unfolding around you.
“When I step outside in New York, I’m humbled by every single encounter I have. I use it as my fuel...”
Mr. Flower Fantastic
SHANTELL MARTIN
“When I step outside in New York, I’m humbled by every single encounter I have. I use it as my fuel,” he shared. It’s a perspective that feels deeply woven into his artistic process. While many people move through New York focused only on the rush ahead of them, Mr. Flower Fantastic gravitates toward the smaller details often overlooked, especially the flowers growing between sidewalks, changing seasons, neighborhood gardens or fleeting interactions that briefly interrupt the city’s intensity. His work transforms those observations into something larger, reminding people that beauty and nature still exist inside environments often associated with concrete and overstimulation.
That balance recently came to life at the New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show, where the artist transformed the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a botanical reimagining of New York City. His “Concrete Jungle” installation featured floral brownstones wrapped in orchids, a life-size yellow taxi covered in synthetic carnations, laundromat washing machines turned into orchid terrariums and subway-inspired street scenes filled with flowers. The project perfectly captured the tension that defines much of his work: urban energy softened through natural elements. Instead of treating flowers as delicate objects removed from everyday life, he uses them as emotional symbols tied to memory and time.
Much of that connection traces back to childhood. Mr. Flower Fantastic’s mother was an avid gardener, and growing up around plants shaped the way he views both creativity and presence today. Flowers became more than visual inspiration; they became reminders to pause. In a city that constantly pushes people toward speed and productivity, his work quietly encourages the opposite. Stop. Observe. Take in your surroundings. In many ways, that mindset sits at the core of what Merrell’s “Outside in the City” campaign is trying to communicate.
As Mr. Flower Fantastic moved through New York wearing Merrell footwear, the partnership felt rooted in the same philosophy that drives his art practice. The shoes didn’t mean putting them on to escape the city, but rather engaging with it more intentionally. From long walks between neighborhoods to spontaneous moments of inspiration hidden throughout the boroughs, the outdoors became something integrated into everyday movement instead of a distant destination.
HIDDEN in PLAIN SIGHT
PRESENTED BY MERRELL
MR. FLOWER
FANTASTIC
SHANTELL MARTIN
ALEXI PAPPAS
MR. FLOWER FANTASTIC
ALEXI PAPPAS
SHANTELL MARTIN
MR. FLOWER FANTASTIC
