The rise and fall of a status plant

“The fiddle-leaf fig has taken us all on a wild ride,” wrote former Strategist staffer (and plant dad) David Notis, despite it being “like the avocado toast of house plants.” He went on to chart its rise: “It went from West Elm catalogue cameos, to boutique-y plant shops like the Sill, to basically being sold out everywhere (even though you could maybe still find one in a matte-white ceramic pot if you were willing to pay $250).”

This ficus became a calling card of the millennial aesthetic, but there were other signifiers: Casper mattresses, Everlane alpaca crew sweaters, terrazzo planters, boob bath mats, Outdoor Voices cloud pants, Veja sneakers, pink velvet chairs with brass legs, Areaware, Coming Soon, Glossier Boy Brow, Boy Smells candles. Bold Helvetica. In the mid-to-late 2010s, this collection of things became the entire cultural moment, the personality of millions. It was an era as much defined by the direct-to-consumer brands that promised to change the world (or at least offer it transparent pricing) as by any actual taste, but we were there to tell you which pair of Everlane high-waisted pants were worth it and which Baggu bag would make the best gift.

After buying his first fiddle-leaf fig, “I was mostly just curious if it would actually work on a logistical level — like if I press this button, is Amazon really going to deliver a plant in a box to my apartment? Really?” says Notis. “Sitting here in 2026, it’s interesting to think about how surreal it felt at the time and how normal it feels now.”

So much else has changed too. Now, Glossier is sold at Sephora, Allbirds has pivoted to AI, and who knows what’s going on with Everlane after selling its soul to Shein. The death of DTC, like the death of millennial optimism, was probably inevitable, propped up by venture capital and cheap advertising that eventually ran dry. But our fiddle-leaf figs, carefully tended over the years, continue to reach toward the light. —D.P.