Leather, Suede and Raffia: Caring for The Row Bags
The first thing you register about one of these bags is everything it leaves out. There is no logo plaque to protect, no coated canvas asking to be wiped down, no heavy hardware taking the knocks. Instead you have a great deal of exposed surface: calfskin wearing its grain openly, lambskin linings, suede that takes a mark from a glance, and in summer a raffia weave left entirely unsealed. Care for The Row bags rests almost wholly on the material rather than on any finish laid over it. Easy to maintain, and unforgiving of an error.
Material is the organising principle here, since the decisions genuinely break down that way. A grained calfskin tote and a suede top handle from the same season need opposite treatment, and a sisal bag wants something different again.
Before anything else: a caveat about care instructions
No public care protocol exists for these bags, because The Row does not publish one. No manual, no published cleaning chart, no brand-approved product line accompanies them. Everything below is therefore material-appropriate general guidance, drawn from how calfskin, lambskin, suede, canvas and raffia behave rather than from instructions handed down by the brand. A good leather specialist would be cautious, conservative and biased toward doing less, which is the right posture here. A definitive brand-issued cleaning routine for these bags does not exist, so anyone presenting one is filling a gap rather than quoting a source. On a piece you care about, ask a professional before applying anything at all.
The routine that matters more than anything on a shelf
Most damage to a good bag comes from routine handling, and the fixes are all behavioural. The most common mistake, especially with the Margaux and the Park Tote, is overfilling, which is also the fastest way to distort a soft silhouette. The belted side gussets on the Soft Margaux exist so you can adjust the shape, not so you can force more into it. Leather is dried and faded by sun, with radiators and car dashboards accelerating both. Rain does more harm than people assume on unfinished surfaces, and suede and raffia have next to no defence against it. Keeping a bag away from sun, heat and water covers more ground than any product on saint laurent loulou a shelf.
- Before storage, empty the bag completely, receipts and anything that can 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 letting them sit loose against the lining.
- Wash your hands before handling pale calfskin or untreated suede.
Smooth, grained, saddle and polished calfskin
Calfskin is the backbone of the line and it is the most forgiving material in it. Smooth calfskin reveals scuffs and shine, matte grained calfskin hides them well, and polished saddle leather lands somewhere in between. Routine care is a buff with a soft dry cloth after use, following the grain and giving attention to the corners and base where dirt collects. A neutral conditioner can be used sparingly and infrequently, tested first on a hidden panel, and the emphasis sits on both of those words. Over-conditioning leaves hide unevenly darkened, creates a tacky surface and takes out structure you wanted. Pale calfskin will also take dye from dark denim, so keep light-coloured bags away from indigo, and never scrub a transferred mark, because scrubbing only spreads it.
Nappa and lambskin, usually found inside
These two appear more often as linings than exteriors, which changes the way you protect them. Lambskin lines the Margaux Shoulder; the Bourse Clutch has a calfskin exterior and a nappa lining — which puts the softest material in the bag right where your keys sit. Both mark easily, both are exceptionally soft, and neither rewards any attempt to work on it. A soft dry cloth, applied lightly and rarely, is the whole treatment. Because the hides are supple as they are, avoid conditioner completely: over-treatment leaves a greasy sheen that will not come out. Protection here means a pouch, not a product.
The line’s most demanding material is suede
Suede commands a consistent premium at this label and earns a matching increase in care. Look at observed 2026 market prices and the gap is obvious: India 10.00 sits at $3,850 in leather against $5,370 in suede, and Agnes 15 runs $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. The point most owners miss is simple: suede is cared for mechanically, not chemically. A dedicated suede brush covers most routine wear on its own, worked gently in one direction so it lifts the nap and clears surface dust. Anything wetter than that belongs to a professional.
- Brush gently after every wear, working with the nap rather than scrubbing across it.
- A wet bag should dry naturally at room temperature, nowhere near a radiator or hairdryer, then brush once it is fully dry.
- Take dry marks off with a suede eraser, using minimal pressure.
- Pass anything oily, coloured or set to a leather specialist rather than trying it yourself.
What should never touch suede makes a short, absolute list: no leather cream, no conditioner, no wet wipes, no soap and no water-based cleaner. Every one of them mats the nap or leaves a ring visible in every light. Over a year, regular brushing beats any treatment, which makes prevention rather than repair the realistic standard.
Raffia, sisal, canvas, nylon, silk and satin
Of everything the brand uses, these are the least serviceable, and they ought to be bought with that in mind. Because the sisal family and the woven raffia and linen totes are not tanned surfaces, conditioning is meaningless and a stained panel cannot be refinished. Solvents and hard scrubbing distort the weave of canvas and nylon and leave a clean patch that reads as damage, despite how well both wear. On silk and satin, water and skin oils leave permanent marks, including the small evening bags and knotted crossbody shapes. Across all of them, the only home treatment worth attempting is spot-cleaning with a barely damp cloth and quick blotting. Because there is no repair to fall back on, rain and sunscreen are the two things to avoid completely.
| Surface | Everyday care | Never |
|---|---|---|
| Grained and smooth calfskin | A soft, dry cloth; neutral conditioner, sparingly and rarely | Conditioning too often; soaking a mark |
| The nappa and lambskin surfaces | Light pressure, dry soft cloth, nothing else | Anything creamy or conditioning |
| Suede | A suede brush and eraser; professional cleaning for stains | Creams, soap, wet wipes and water-based cleaners |
| Raffia, sisal, canvas, nylon | Spot-clean and blot; air-dry | Dunking, solvents, or scrubbing hard |
| Silk and satin | Professional care; keep them dry | Trying to clean it yourself |
Hardware, linings and the parts people forget
What needs protecting is the finish: palladium-plated hardware in a matte or brushed finish. Metal polish has no place here: it is made for shine and will burnish a deliberately soft surface into something that no longer matches the bag. A dry cloth on the buckles and feet is enough, and drying whenever they get wet, so moisture never sits in the join. The engraving on the Margaux buckles and base feet holds dust, which a soft brush lifts far better than a cloth. The cotton herringbone linings in the Soft Margaux 10 and 12 should be vacuumed out, never washed. Because early attention turns a large repair into a small one, check the stitching at the handle roots occasionally.
Storage between wears
Good bags deteriorate quietly in storage, and the fix costs almost nothing. Use the dust bag that came with it, stuffed lightly so the shape holds without stretching the sides. Acid-free tissue works, as does a soft cotton scarf; newspaper does not, because the ink transfers. Because shape survives emptiness but not weight, keep them upright on a shelf and never stacked under others. A dark, dry, ventilated space is the aim, with no sealed plastic boxes to trap humidity against leather. Rotation matters more than most owners expect, because a bag that rests recovers its form.
When to hand it to a professional
There is a clear line between maintenance and restoration, and crossing that line at home is precisely how good row handbags get ruined. If it involves colour loss, ink, oil, water rings on suede or a stretched handle, it belongs with 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 techniques built for coated canvas do not transfer, find out whether the specialist has handled unlogoed luxury calfskin. Discreet testing and an honest answer are what a good specialist offers, because untreated hide holds some marks for good. A botched attempt at home leaves a resale discount larger than the cost of one competent intervention.
