Leather, Suede and Raffia: Caring for The Row Bags
Buy one of these bags and you quickly notice what is missing. There is no logo plaque in the way, no coated canvas asking to be wiped down, no heavy hardware taking the knocks. What you have instead is a lot of exposed surface: calfskin wearing its grain openly, lambskin linings, suede that marks at almost nothing, and in summer an unsealed raffia weave. Care for The Row bags rests almost wholly on the material rather than on any finish laid over it. That makes them simple to look after and unforgiving when you get it wrong.
The guide below is arranged by material, because that is how the decisions actually break down. Take a grained calfskin tote and a suede top handle from the same season and they need opposite handling, and a sisal bag asks for something else entirely.
A necessary caveat on care instructions
Nothing resembling a public care protocol has been issued, because The Row does not publish one. There is neither a manual nor a published cleaning chart, and no brand-approved products are sold with them. What follows is accordingly material-appropriate general guidance, taken from the behaviour of calfskin, lambskin, suede, canvas and raffia rather than from any instructions the label has issued. Approach it the way a good leather specialist does: cautiously, conservatively, and biased toward doing less. No definitive brand-issued cleaning routine exists for these bags, so anyone who presents one is filling a gap rather than quoting a source. If the bag matters, consult a professional before putting anything on it.
Why habits outrank products
Most damage to a good bag comes from routine handling, and the remedies are behavioural rather than chemical. Overfilling is the fastest way to distort a soft silhouette, and it is the mistake owners make most often with the Margaux and the Park Tote. The belted side gussets on the Soft Margaux are there to let you adjust the shape, not so you can force more into it. Sunlight both dries and fades leather; radiators and car dashboards manage it faster. Rain is harder on unfinished surfaces than people assume, and suede and raffia have almost no defence against it. Keeping a bag saint laurent loulou away from sun, heat and water covers more ground than any product on a shelf.
- Take everything out before you store it, receipts and anything else that might transfer colour included.
- Hanging a soft bag by its handles for long stretches will stretch the drop, so do not do it.
- Keep pens, keys and cosmetics in a pouch rather than loose against the lining.
- Clean hands before touching pale calfskin or untreated suede.
Smooth, grained, saddle and polished calfskin
The most forgiving material in the line is also its backbone. Where smooth calfskin shows scuffs and shine, matte grained calfskin hides them, with polished saddle leather between the two. A soft dry cloth after use is the whole of routine care, worked with the grain, with attention to the corners and base where dirt collects. A neutral conditioner may be used sparingly and infrequently, with a test on a hidden panel first, and the emphasis belongs on both words. An over-conditioned hide darkens unevenly, turns tacky and loses the structure you want to keep. Pale calfskin will also take dye from dark denim, so keep light bags away from indigo, and never scrub a transferred mark, because scrubbing only spreads it.
Nappa and lambskin, mostly on the inside
Nappa and lambskin show up more as linings than exteriors, which changes the way you protect them. On the Margaux Shoulder the lining is lambskin, and the Bourse Clutch pairs a calfskin exterior with a nappa lining — which puts the softest material in the bag right where your keys sit. Exceptional softness, easy marking, and no tolerance for being worked on describe both. The correct answer is a dry soft cloth, nothing more, applied lightly and rarely. Skip conditioner entirely, because the hides are already supple, and over-treatment leaves a greasy sheen that never comes out. The protection that works is a pouch inside the bag, never something rubbed onto it.
Suede, the most demanding material in the line
At this label suede is consistently dearer, and the care it needs rises to match. The observed 2026 market prices make the gap plain: India 10.00 runs $3,850 in leather and $5,370 in suede, and Agnes 15 is $5,000 in leather against $5,800 in suede. What the premium buys is a nap that flattens, absorbs and stains more readily than any finished hide. Suede care is a mechanical business rather than a chemical one, which is the point most owners miss. A dedicated suede brush covers most routine wear on its own, used gently in one direction to lift the nap and clear surface dust. Past dry brushing, it is a professional’s job.
- Give it a light brush after each wear, working with the nap rather than scrubbing across it.
- A wet bag should dry naturally at room temperature, away from radiators and hairdryers, then brush it once it has dried completely.
- A suede eraser lifts dry marks, applied with minimal pressure.
- Do not attempt anything oily, coloured or set — it belongs with a leather specialist.
The list of what must never go on suede is short and absolute: no leather cream, no conditioner, no wet wipes, no soap and no water-based cleaner. All of them either mat the nap or leave a ring that catches every light. Prevention rather than repair is the realistic standard here, because regular brushing does more over a year than any treatment.
Raffia, sisal, canvas, nylon, silk and satin: what cannot be fixed
These are the least serviceable materials the brand uses, and they ought to be bought with that in mind. Neither the sisal family nor the woven raffia and linen totes are tanned surfaces, so there is nothing to condition, and no way to refinish a stained panel. Solvents and hard scrubbing distort the weave of canvas and nylon and leave a clean patch that reads as damage, even though both wear well otherwise. Permanent marking from water and skin oils is the risk on silk and satin, including the small evening bags and knotted crossbody shapes. Spot-clean with a barely damp cloth and blot quickly — and that is the whole of home treatment for these materials. Because there is no repair to fall back on, keep them out of the rain and away from sunscreen.
| Surface | Everyday care | Avoid entirely |
|---|---|---|
| Grained and smooth calfskin | Soft dry cloth as standard, with neutral conditioner only sparingly and rarely | Conditioning frequently, or soaking a stain |
| Nappa or lambskin | A dry soft cloth under light pressure | Anything creamy or conditioning |
| Suede surfaces | Suede brush plus eraser; stains go to a professional | Cream, soap, wet wipes, water-based cleaners |
| The raffia, sisal, canvas and nylon pieces | Spot-clean, blot, and let it air dry | Immersion, solvents, hard scrubbing |
| The silk and satin pieces | A professional; keep it dry | Trying to clean it yourself |
Hardware, linings and the parts people forget
Hardware here is palladium-plated, matte or brushed, and that finish is the thing to protect. Metal polish exists to create shine, and it will burnish a deliberately soft surface into something that no longer matches the bag. Buckles and feet want nothing more than a dry cloth, with a proper drying if they get wet so moisture does not sit in the join. The engraving on the Margaux buckles and base feet holds dust, which a soft brush lifts far better than a cloth. Vacuum rather than wash the cotton herringbone linings used in the Soft Margaux 10 and 12. Because catching a loose thread early costs a small repair instead of a large one, check the stitching at the handle roots occasionally.
How to store them between wears
Storage is where good bags quietly go wrong, and the fix costs almost nothing. Use the dust bag it came with, with light stuffing so the shape holds and the sides do not stretch. Either acid-free tissue or a soft cotton scarf will do the job, but not newspaper, because the ink transfers. Because shape survives emptiness but not weight, keep them upright on a shelf and never stacked under others. The space should be dark, dry and ventilated, and steer clear of sealed plastic boxes, which trap humidity against leather. Rotating what you carry counts for more than owners expect, because a bag that rests recovers its form.
When to hand it to a professional
A clear line separates maintenance from restoration, and crossing it at home is how good row handbags end up ruined. Send colour loss, ink, oil, water rings on suede and stretched handles to a leather specialist. The same goes for structural work, loose stitching at a stress point or a lining torn away from its seam included. Because coated-canvas technique does not carry across, ask whether the specialist has handled unlogoed luxury calfskin. The right specialist tests discreetly and says plainly when a mark will not come out cleanly, since on untreated hide some cannot be lifted. The resale discount from a botched home attempt outweighs the price of one competent intervention.