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 to wipe down, no weight of hardware absorbing 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. With The Row bags the care burden falls almost entirely on the material rather than on a finish laid over it. Easy to maintain, and unforgiving of an error.
This guide is organised 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, with a sisal bag different again.
The caveat that has to come first
Nothing resembling a public care protocol has been issued, because The Row does not publish one. There is no manual, no published cleaning chart and no brand-approved product line sold alongside 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. A definitive brand-issued cleaning routine for these bags does not exist, so anyone presenting one shop now is filling a gap rather than quoting a source. On a piece you care about, ask a professional before applying anything at all.
What you do matters more than what you buy
The bulk of the damage to a good bag comes from routine handling, and the fixes are all behavioural. Nothing distorts a soft silhouette faster than overfilling, 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. Rain is harder on unfinished surfaces than people assume, and suede and raffia have almost no defence against it. 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.
- Leave a soft bag hanging by its handles and the drop stretches, so keep it off the hook.
- Pens, keys and cosmetics belong in a pouch, not loose against the lining.
- Wash your hands before you handle pale calfskin or untreated suede.
Calfskin, from smooth to polished saddle
The backbone of the line, calfskin, is also the most forgiving material in it. Smooth calfskin reveals scuffs and shine, matte grained calfskin conceals them well, and polished saddle leather sits between the two. Routine care means buffing with a soft dry cloth after use, working with the grain and paying 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. Darkening, tackiness and lost structure are what over-conditioning buys you. Because pale calfskin picks up dye from dark denim, light bags belong away from indigo, and a transferred mark should never be scrubbed, because scrubbing spreads it.
Nappa and lambskin, usually found inside
These two turn up more often as linings than as exteriors, which alters how protection works. 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. Dry soft cloth only is the correct answer, applied lightly and rarely. Because these hides are already supple, avoid conditioner completely: over-treatment leaves a greasy sheen that will not come out. A pouch inside the bag protects far better than anything you could apply.
Suede: where the care burden peaks
A consistent premium attaches to suede at this label and calls for a matching increase in care. 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. Suede care is a mechanical business rather than a chemical one, 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 belongs to a professional.
- After each wear, brush lightly along the nap, not a scrub across it.
- Natural drying at room temperature, no radiators or hairdryers, then a brush once it is fully dry.
- Take dry marks off with a suede eraser, using minimal pressure.
- Do not attempt anything oily, coloured or set — send it to a leather specialist.
Never put leather cream, conditioner, wet wipes, soap or a water-based cleaner on suede — the list is short and absolute. What you get is a matted nap, or a ring that shows in every light. The realistic standard is prevention, not repair, because regular brushing does more over a year than any treatment.
Raffia and sisal, canvas and nylon, silk and satin
Of everything the brand uses, these are the least serviceable, and they should be bought with that understood. 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. 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 — that is the only home treatment worth trying on any of them. Prevention carries the entire load here, so keep them out of the rain and away from sunscreen.
| The material | Regular routine | Avoid entirely |
|---|---|---|
| Grained and smooth calfskin | Buff with a soft dry cloth; neutral conditioner used sparingly and rarely | Frequent conditioning; drenching a stain |
| Nappa and lambskin | Soft cloth, dry, used with light pressure | Conditioner and cream alike |
| Suede surfaces | A suede brush and eraser; a professional for stains | Cream and soap, wet wipes, any water-based cleaner |
| The raffia, sisal, canvas and nylon pieces | A spot-clean with prompt blotting, then air drying | Any immersion, any solvent, any hard scrubbing |
| The silk and satin pieces | Professional cleaning; keep it dry | Any attempt to clean it at home |
Hardware, linings and the parts people forget
The fittings are palladium-plated with a matte or brushed finish, and protecting that finish is the whole job. Metal polish has no place here: made for shine, it burnishes a deliberately soft finish into something that no longer matches the bag. Wipe buckles and feet with a dry cloth, and dry them off 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, and a soft brush clears it 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, give the stitching at the handle roots an occasional look.
Storing a bag between wears
Most quiet deterioration happens in storage, and the fix is cheap. Use the dust bag it came with, lightly stuffed 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 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, with no sealed plastic boxes to trap humidity against leather. Rotating what you carry matters more than owners expect, because time off lets a bag recover its form.
When to hand the bag to a professional
Good row handbags get ruined when the line between maintenance and restoration is crossed at home, and the line itself is clear enough. 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, whether that is loose stitching at a stress point or 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. The right specialist tests discreetly and says plainly when a mark will not come out cleanly, because untreated hide holds some marks for good. The resale discount from a botched home attempt outweighs the price of one competent intervention.
