---
title: "Pleat"
description: "A pleat is a fold of fabric pressed or stitched in place to control fullness, giving shape and movement to a garment."
type: Glossary
url: https://teazle.art/glossary/pleat
published: 2026-10-14
updated: 2026-10-14
author: "The Teazle editors"
---

# Pleat

*A pleat is a fold of fabric pressed or stitched in place to control fullness, giving shape and movement to a garment.*

A pleat folds the fabric back on itself. Knife pleats all face one way, box pleats face away from each other, inverted pleats meet at the front. Pleats may be stitched part way, pressed sharp or left soft.

## How are permanent pleats made?

On heat-setting synthetic fabrics they can be pressed permanently. Earlier makers used starch and heated irons, or, like Mariano Fortuny, secret processes for fine silk pleating.


## Sources

1. [Pleat (AAT 300227874)](http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300227874). Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
2. [Pleat (Q1394963)](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1394963). Wikidata

Canonical: https://teazle.art/glossary/pleat