When we were casting for our Tinted Moisturizer Blurred Matte photoshoot, we wanted to use real women who inspired us. Meet Marisa Competello, a choreographer, stylist, and floral architect who is the embodiment of creative evolution.
A Dance of Flowers, Movement, and Transformation
Marisa is a lifelong dancer who once lived within the rhythmic pulse of fashion; she now finds herself at the crossroads of art, movement, and nature. In a world that thrives on reinvention, Marisa’s journey is one of constant fluidity, moving from one expressive form to another. From the neon-lit streets of New York’s fashion scene to the lush vibrancy of floral architecture, Marisa has cultivated a career that blends beauty, art, and movement with an undeniable personal touch.
A Life in Motion: Dance as Foundation
Long before she handled one flower or created a single look of fashion, Marisa Competello was well versed in dance. "Movement has always been my language," she says, speaking to the lifelong connection she's had with the medium. When Competello was a little girl, dancing gave her a creative outlet but also an articulate way to say things about what was deeply felt regarding her external environment. "Dance teaches you to listen to your body, to find rhythm in everything you do," she says.
It was this passion and energy that fueled Marisa into styling and fashion once she moved to New York City; she spent almost ten years working with some of the most noted names in the industry."It was a natural transition," she admits. "Fashion is another form of movement, after all—there's so much energy, so much rhythm in a collection, in a runway show, in the way a garment moves with the body."
Meta Flora: A Sculptural Symphony in Bloom
The city’s concrete jungle, while exhilarating, had a way of leaving Marisa yearning for the soft, organic rhythm of the natural world. "I crave nature," she confesses. "The stillness, the process of growth. It's both grounding and inspiring." It was this craving that led her to flowers—and to the creation of Meta Flora, a floral architecture business that has quickly become known for its sculptural arrangements and finely balanced designs.
This little side hobby soon turned out to be quite an artistic dedication. Marisa's flower arrangement is a certain breath of fresh air, combing the fields of art, fashion, and organic beauty. Nothing out of the ordinary—the creations of Meta Flora tend to be not entirely. Each design has been a work of art; floral arrangement and sculpture; the demarcation line can at most be toe-pointed. "I approach flowers the way a dancer approaches movement," Marisa explains. "I’m thinking about form, balance, and composition—how the flowers interact with space, how they communicate their own story."
Whether it's a towering arrangement for an event or a delicately placed bouquet, Marisa’s work is defined by its sense of rhythm. Flowers in her hands become an extension of the body, woven into a symphony of organic movement. "It’s about creating something that speaks to the senses," she says. "Something that feels alive."
MOVES: Teaching, Evolving, and Connecting Through Movement
But amidst all the flower beauty that she brings into being, Marisa still claims the dancer as central to her definition of herself as an artist. The core of everything she does comes from within the dance. She continues, along with her floral work, teaching her movement class, called MOVES, here in New York City—a place for people to come and reconnect with their bodies, breath, and creativity.
The class itself is as dynamic as Marisa’s career—melding contemporary dance with a sense of playfulness and freedom. "I want people to feel the joy of movement," she says. "To step into their bodies and let go of whatever they’re holding onto." Through MOVES, Marisa is not only teaching people to dance but guiding them on a journey of self-discovery and connection. "It’s about listening to your body, finding your flow, and moving through the world with more awareness," she adds.
Her approach to movement is intuitive, flowing seamlessly from one form to another. "I don’t teach rigid steps," Marisa explains. "Instead, I create an environment where people feel comfortable experimenting, letting their bodies lead. Movement, just like flowers, is something that can’t be forced—it has to unfold naturally."
From Fashion to Flowers: A Seamless Transition
As much as Marisa’s career in fashion informed her journey into florals, the two worlds remain deeply intertwined. Whether styling a photo shoot or arranging flowers for an event, Marisa approaches both with the same sense of artistry, flow, and attention to detail. "Styling, like floral design, is a way to tell a story," she says. "It’s about bringing together disparate elements, finding harmony, and allowing everything to breathe together."
Meta Flora’s arrangements often draw from Marisa’s deep understanding of fashion aesthetics, incorporating bold shapes, textures, and color palettes that reflect her design sensibilities. Just as a garment’s silhouette speaks to its wearer, each floral arrangement reflects its own narrative, guided by the energy of the flowers and the space they inhabit.
A Vision of Harmony and Balance
Marisa’s ability to weave these different worlds together—fashion, movement, and nature—has led her down a path that is uniquely her own. And as she looks to the future, she’s not slowing down. "I see myself continuing to explore the intersection between movement, nature, and design," she says, her eyes alight with excitement. "There’s still so much to create, so much to learn."
To Marisa, the future is one of growth and fluidity. Through dancing, styling, or an out-of-this-world floral installation, she speaks to our deeper need for connection, balance, and change. As she further expands her creative practice, one thing is certain: Marisa Competello will continue to be that beacon of artistic reinvention, beckoning others to move purposefully, breathe intentionally, and create with passion.
For Marisa Competello, beauty is not something inert but dynamic: ever in movement, growth, and blossoming.