Looking After The Row Leather, Suede and Raffia Bags
Pick one of these bags up and the absences announce themselves. There is no logo plaque in the way, no coated canvas asking to be wiped down, no weight of hardware absorbing the knocks. The trade 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 a finish laid over it. The result is a bag that is simple to maintain and merciless when you get it wrong.
Material is the organising principle here, since the decisions genuinely break down that way. Opposite treatment goes to a grained calfskin tote and a suede top handle from the same season, with a sisal bag different again.
The caveat that has to come first
Nothing resembling a public care protocol has been issued, since The Row issues none. You will find no manual, no published cleaning chart and no brand-approved product line sold with them. This is material-appropriate general guidance, drawn from how calfskin, lambskin, suede, canvas and raffia behave rather than from instructions issued by the label. Cautious, conservative and inclined to do less is how a good leather specialist works, which is the right posture here. Anyone offering a definitive brand-issued cleaning routine for these bags is filling a gap, not quoting a source. On a piece you care about, ask a professional before applying anything at all.
Habits that matter more than any product
The bulk of the damage to a good bag comes from routine handling, and the remedies are behavioural rather than chemical. With the Margaux and the Park Tote in particular, overfilling is the usual mistake, and it distorts designer tote bags a soft silhouette faster than anything. Adjusting the shape is what the belted side gussets on the Soft Margaux are for, and are not a licence to force more in. Sunlight both dries and fades leather; radiators and car dashboards do it quicker still. 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.
- Before storage, empty the bag completely, receipts and anything that can transfer colour included.
- Never leave a soft bag hanging by its handles for long, because the drop will stretch.
- Pens, keys and cosmetics belong in a pouch, not loose against the lining.
- Pale calfskin and untreated suede want clean hands.
Calfskin, from smooth to polished saddle
Calfskin is the backbone of the line and the most forgiving material in it. 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. Neutral conditioner is fine sparingly and infrequently, and both words matter, tested first on a hidden panel. Too much conditioner darkens hide unevenly, produces a tacky surface and softens structure you meant to keep. 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, mostly on the inside
These two appear more often as linings than exteriors, which alters how protection works. Lambskin lines the Margaux Shoulder and the Bourse Clutch puts a nappa lining inside a calfskin exterior, so the softest material in the bag is exactly what your keys rest on. Both are exceptionally soft, both mark easily, and neither responds to being worked on. A dry soft cloth and nothing else is the correct answer, applied lightly and rarely. Because the hides are supple as they are, conditioner should be avoided altogether, since over-treatment leaves a greasy sheen that will not come out. Real protection is a pouch inside the bag, not a product applied to it.
Suede: where the care burden peaks
Suede is consistently the more expensive choice here, and the care it needs rises to match. Observed 2026 market prices make the gap 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. The premium buys a nap that flattens, absorbs and stains more readily than any finished hide. Most owners miss the key point: suede care is mechanical rather than chemical. A dedicated suede brush, used gently in one direction, lifts the nap and clears surface dust, and and that on its own covers most routine wear. Anything wetter than that is a job for a professional.
- Give it a light brush after each wear, working with the nap rather than scrubbing across it.
- Let a wet bag dry naturally at room temperature, nowhere near a radiator or hairdryer, then brush it once it has dried completely.
- Take dry marks off with a suede eraser, using minimal pressure.
- Send anything oily, coloured or set to a leather specialist rather than trying it yourself.
Never put leather cream, conditioner, wet wipes, soap or a water-based cleaner on suede — the list is short and absolute. Every one of them mats the nap or leaves a ring visible in every light. Regular brushing achieves more across a year than any treatment, which makes prevention rather than repair the realistic standard.
Raffia, sisal, canvas, nylon, silk and satin
Buy these knowing they are the least serviceable materials the brand uses. The sisal family and the woven raffia and linen totes are not tanned surfaces, so there is nothing to condition and no way to refinish a stained panel. Hard scrubbing and solvents will distort the weave 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, 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, rain and sunscreen are the two things to avoid completely.
| Surface | Regular routine | Never do this |
|---|---|---|
| Calfskin in grained and smooth form | Soft dry cloth; neutral conditioner, sparingly and rarely | Conditioning too often; soaking a mark |
| Nappa and lambskin | A dry soft cloth under light pressure | Conditioner or cream of any kind |
| Suede | Suede brush plus eraser; stains go to a professional | Anything wet: soap, wet wipes, water-based cleaners, and cream too |
| Raffia, sisal, canvas, nylon | Spot-clean, then blot; dry in the air | Immersion, solvents, hard scrubbing |
| Silk or satin | Professional cleaning; keep it dry | Any home cleaning attempt |
Hardware, linings and the bits people forget
The hardware is palladium-plated with a matte or brushed finish, and protecting that finish is the whole job. 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, with a proper drying if they get wet so moisture does not sit in the join. Buckles and base feet on the Margaux are engraved, and those recesses trap dust that 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. Inspect the stitching at the handle roots from time to time, because spotting a loose thread early turns a large repair into a small one.
Between wears: storage that works
Good bags deteriorate quietly in storage, and the fix is cheap. Store it in its own dust bag, with just enough stuffing to hold the shape and not stretch the sides. Either acid-free tissue or a soft cotton scarf will do the job, but not newspaper, because the ink transfers. Stand bags upright on a shelf rather than piling them under one another, since these silhouettes hold their shape when empty and lose it under weight. Keep the storage space dark, dry and ventilated, and steer clear of sealed plastic boxes, which trap humidity against leather. Rotating what you carry matters more than owners expect, because a bag that rests recovers its form.
Knowing when to stop and call a specialist
There is a clear line between maintenance and restoration, and crossing it at home is how good row handbags get ruined. Colour loss, ink, oil, water rings on suede or a stretched handle all belong with a leather specialist. Structural jobs fall on the same side of the line, from loose stitching at a stress point to a lining torn away from its seam. Ask whether the specialist has handled unlogoed luxury calfskin, since techniques built for coated canvas do not transfer. Expect discreet testing, and honesty about any mark that cannot be lifted cleanly, because on untreated hide, some marks simply cannot be. One competent intervention costs less than the resale discount left by a botched attempt at home.
