FRANCE-FASHION

Folded cloth arranged over cardboard is on show at the workshop of Gerard Lognon in Paris on January 14, 2014. Members of staff known as 'plisseurs' or specialist pleaters fold cloth with the aid of sheets of cardboard. The art of making pleats, while crucial in the world of haute couture -- which holds six days of fashion shows in Paris next week -- has become a rarity, with less than five "plisseurs" remaining in France. Most of them practice their craft in the heart of Paris where four generations have moulded material into a mind-boggling array of pleats since Emilie Lognon opened the workshop in 1853, passing the craft onto three male descendants. AFP PHOTO / JOEL SAGET (Photo by Joël SAGET / AFP) (Photo by JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)