Maintaining The Row Leather, Suede and Raffia Bags in Good Order

Pick one of these bags up and the absences announce themselves. There is no logo plaque to protect, no coated canvas asking to be wiped down, no heavy hardware taking the knocks. What you get in exchange is exposed surface: calfskin that shows its grain, lambskin linings, suede that marks if you look at it wrongly, and in summer a raffia weave with nothing sealing it. Care for The Row bags rests almost wholly on the material rather than on some coating applied on top. Easy to maintain, and unforgiving of an error.

The guide below is arranged by material, because that is where the real decisions sit. The same season can give you a grained calfskin tote and a suede top handle that need opposite treatment, while a sisal bag is different again.

Before anything else: a caveat about care instructions

There is no public care protocol issued by The Row for its bags. No manual, no published cleaning chart, no brand-approved product line accompanies them. Treat all of it as material-appropriate general guidance, drawn from how calfskin, lambskin, suede, canvas and raffia behave rather than from instructions issued by the label. A good leather specialist would be cautious, conservative and biased toward doing less, which is the right posture here. No definitive brand-issued cleaning routine exists for these bags, so anyone who presents one is filling a gap rather than quoting a source. Where the piece matters to you, ask a professional before you apply anything at all.

Behaviour beats product, every time

Most damage to a good bag comes from routine handling, and the remedies are behavioural rather yves st laurent than chemical. Overfilling is the fastest way to distort a soft silhouette, and it is the error owners make most often with the Margaux and the Park Tote. Adjusting the shape is what the belted side gussets on the Soft Margaux are for, and are not a licence to force more in. Leather dries and fades in sunlight, with radiators and car dashboards accelerating both. Unfinished surfaces suffer more from rain than people expect, and suede and raffia are close to defenceless. Keeping a bag out of sun, heat and water achieves more than any product on a shelf.

• Nothing stays in a stored bag, least of all receipts or anything that can transfer colour.
• Avoid hanging a soft bag by its handles for any length of time, because the handle drop will stretch.
• A pouch keeps pens, keys and cosmetics off the lining.
• Handle pale calfskin and untreated suede only with washed hands.

Smooth, grained, saddle and polished calfskin

The backbone of the line, calfskin, is also the most forgiving material in it. Scuffs and shine both show on smooth calfskin, matte grained calfskin conceals them well, and polished saddle leather falls between the two. Routine care stops at a soft dry cloth after use, used with the grain and concentrated on the corners and base where dirt collects. Neutral conditioner can go on sparingly and infrequently, after a test on a hidden panel, and the emphasis sits on both of those words. An over-conditioned hide darkens unevenly, turns tacky and loses the structure you want to keep. Pale calfskin also picks up dye from dark denim, so keep light-coloured bags away from indigo, and never scrub at a transferred mark, as scrubbing spreads it further.

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 and the Bourse Clutch pairs a calfskin exterior with a nappa lining, so the softest thing in the bag is what your keys lie against. 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. The protection that works is a pouch inside the bag, never something rubbed onto it.

Suede: the most demanding material in the line

Suede carries a consistent premium at this label and calls for 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. 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 point most owners miss. Most routine wear is handled by a dedicated suede brush alone, worked gently in one direction so it lifts the nap and clears surface dust. Anything wetter than that belongs to a professional.

1. A light brush along the nap after each wear, not a scrub across it.
2. Dry a wet bag naturally at room temperature, clear of radiators and hairdryers, and brush only when it is fully dry.
3. Lift dry marks with a suede eraser using minimal pressure.
4. 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. Regular brushing does more over a year than any treatment, which makes prevention rather than repair the realistic standard.

Raffia, sisal, canvas, nylon, silk and satin: what cannot be fixed

Buy these knowing they are the least serviceable materials the brand uses. 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. Canvas and nylon are hard-wearing, but solvents and hard scrubbing damage them, which pulls the weave out of shape and leaves a clean patch that reads as damage. On silk and satin, water and skin oils leave permanent marks, the small evening bags and knotted crossbody shapes included. 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.

The parts people forget: hardware and linings

The finish is what you are protecting: the hardware is palladium-plated with a matte or brushed surface. 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. Give buckles and feet a wipe with a dry cloth, and dry them if they get wet so moisture does not sit in the join. Engraved buckles and base feet on the Margaux trap dust in their recesses, 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 early attention turns a large repair into a small one, check the stitching at the handle roots occasionally.

Storage between wears

Storage is where good bags quietly deteriorate, and the fix is cheap. Use the dust bag it came with, stuffed lightly so the shape holds without stretching the sides. Acid-free tissue works, as does a soft cotton scarf; newspaper will not do, as the 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. Keep the storage space dark, dry and ventilated, and steer clear of sealed plastic boxes, which trap humidity against leather. Because form comes back to a bag that rests, rotating what you carry does more good than owners realise.

The point at which it goes to a specialist

There is a clear line between maintenance and restoration, and crossing it at home is how good row handbags get ruined. Anything involving colour loss, ink, oil, water rings on suede or a stretched handle belongs with a leather specialist. So does structural work, including loose stitching at a stress point or a lining torn away from its seam. Because coated-canvas technique does not carry across, ask whether the specialist has handled unlogoed luxury calfskin. Discreet testing and an honest answer are what a good specialist offers, since on untreated hide some cannot be lifted. A botched attempt at home leaves a resale discount larger than the cost of one competent intervention.