Maintaining The Row Leather, Suede and Raffia Bags the Right Way
Buy one of these bags and you quickly notice what is missing. There is no logo plaque to protect, no coated canvas asking to be wiped down, no heavy hardware taking the knocks. The trade is exposed surface: calfskin showing its grain, lambskin linings, suede that marks at the smallest provocation, and a summer raffia weave with no seal on it. Almost all of the care burden of The Row bags belongs to the material itself. That leaves them simple to look after, and unforgiving of mistakes.
Material is the organising principle here, because that is how the decisions actually break down. 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, since The Row issues none. 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. A good leather specialist would be cautious, conservative and biased toward doing less, and so should you. 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. Before anything goes onto a bag you care about, ask a professional.
Why habits outrank products
The bulk of the damage to a good bag comes from routine handling, and the fixes are all behavioural. Overfilling distorts a soft silhouette faster than anything else, and it is the mistake owners make most often with the Margaux and the Park Tote. Those belted side gussets on the Soft Margaux are for adjusting the shape, not so you can force more into it. Sunlight dries and fades leather; radiators and car dashboards do it faster. Unfinished surfaces suffer more from rain than people expect, and suede and raffia are close to defenceless. Sun, heat and water avoided will do more for a bag than anything sold in a saint laurent tote bottle.
- Empty the bag before storing it, including receipts and anything that can transfer colour.
- Hanging a soft bag by its handles for long stretches will stretch the drop, so do not do it.
- Pens, keys and cosmetics belong in a pouch, not loose against the lining.
- Wash your hands before handling pale calfskin or untreated suede.
Calfskin in its four forms: smooth, grained, saddle and polished
The most forgiving material in the line is also its backbone. Scuffs and shine show on smooth calfskin and hide well on matte grained calfskin, and polished saddle leather sits between them. Routine care stops at a soft dry cloth after use, worked with the grain, with attention to the corners and base where dirt collects. A neutral conditioner may be used sparingly and infrequently, after a test on a hidden panel, and both of those words carry weight. Over-conditioning darkens hide unevenly, creates a tacky surface and takes out structure you wanted. Pale calfskin will also take dye from dark denim, so keep pale bags clear of indigo, and never scrub a transferred mark, since scrubbing spreads it.
Nappa and lambskin: linings more than exteriors
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 — so the softest material in the bag is the one your keys sit against. Both are exceptionally soft, both take marks easily, and neither takes kindly to being worked on. Dry soft cloth only is the correct answer, and used lightly, and rarely. Because these hides are already supple, conditioner should be avoided altogether, since over-treatment leaves a greasy sheen that will not come out. The protection that works is a pouch inside the bag, never something rubbed onto it.
The line’s most demanding material is suede
Suede carries a consistent premium at this label and calls for a matching increase in care. 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. That premium buys nap — which flattens, absorbs and stains more readily than any finished hide. Caring for suede is mechanical, not chemical, which is the thing 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. Anything wetter than that is a job for a professional.
- After each wear, brush lightly along the nap, not a scrub across it.
- Let a wet bag dry naturally at room temperature, well away from radiators and hairdryers, then brush it once it has dried completely.
- A suede eraser lifts dry marks, used with as little pressure as possible.
- Leave anything oily, coloured or set alone — it belongs with a leather specialist.
The list of things never to put on suede is short and absolute: no leather cream, no conditioner, no wet wipes, no soap, no water-based cleaner. Every one of them mats the nap or leaves a ring visible in every light. Prevention rather than repair is the realistic standard here, because regular brushing does more over a year than any treatment.
The unserviceable materials: raffia, sisal, canvas, nylon, silk and satin
Know before you buy: these are the least serviceable materials the brand works with. Because these are not tanned surfaces, 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, despite how well both wear. Permanent marking from water and skin oils is the risk on silk and satin, including the small evening bags and knotted crossbody shapes. A barely damp cloth, a spot-clean and a quick blot — that is the only home treatment worth trying on any of them. Here, prevention carries everything, so keep them clear of rain and sunscreen.
| Material | Routine care | Never do this |
|---|---|---|
| Calfskin in grained and smooth form | Buff with a soft dry cloth; neutral conditioner used sparingly and rarely | Frequent conditioning; drenching a stain |
| Nappa or lambskin | Soft cloth, dry, and only light pressure | Any conditioner or cream |
| Suede | Suede brush plus eraser; stains go to a professional | Creams, soap, wet wipes and water-based cleaners |
| Raffia and sisal, canvas and nylon | Spot-clean and blot; air dry | Any immersion, any solvent, any hard scrubbing |
| Satin and silk | Keep dry, and leave cleaning to a professional | Trying to clean it yourself |
Hardware and linings, the overlooked parts
The fittings are palladium-plated with a matte or brushed finish, and protecting that finish is the whole job. Keep metal polish away from it: made for shine, it burnishes a deliberately soft finish into something that no longer matches the bag. Clean buckles and feet with a dry cloth, and dry them off if they get wet, so moisture does not sit in the join. The Margaux has engraved buckles and base feet, and the recesses trap dust, which a soft brush clears better than a cloth. The cotton herringbone linings in the Soft Margaux 10 and 12 should be vacuumed out, never washed. Because catching a loose thread early costs a small repair instead of a large one, give the stitching at the handle roots an occasional look.
Storage between wears
Good bags deteriorate quietly in storage, and the fix costs almost nothing. The dust bag it came with is the right home, lightly stuffed so the shape holds without stretching the sides. Either acid-free tissue or a soft cotton scarf will do the job, though never newspaper, whose ink transfers. Because these silhouettes hold their shape when empty and lose it under weight, store bags upright on a shelf rather than stacked under others. A dark, dry, ventilated space is the aim, and no sealed plastic boxes, which trap humidity against leather. Rotation matters more than most owners expect, because a resting bag recovers its form.
The point at which it goes to a specialist
Maintenance and restoration are divided by a clear line, and crossing it at home is 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. Structural work is the same, from loose stitching at a stress point to a lining torn away from its seam. Because techniques built for coated canvas do not transfer, find out whether the specialist has handled unlogoed luxury calfskin. A good one will test discreetly and tell you when a mark cannot be lifted cleanly, because on untreated hide some cannot. One competent intervention costs less than the resale discount left by a botched attempt at home.