How to Care for The Row Leather, Suede and Raffia Bags
The first thing you register about one of these bags is everything it leaves out. No logo plaque needs protecting, 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. Almost all of the care burden of The Row bags belongs to the material itself. Simple to look after, unforgiving when you get it wrong.
The guide below is arranged by material, because that is where the real decisions sit. Opposite treatment goes to a grained calfskin tote and a suede top handle from the same season, while a sisal bag is 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. There is neither a manual nor a published cleaning chart, and no brand-approved products are sold with 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. Treat it the way a good leather specialist would: cautiously, conservatively, and biased toward doing less. Anyone offering a definitive brand-issued cleaning routine for these bags is filling a gap, not quoting a source. Before anything goes onto a bag you care about, ask a professional.
Why habits outrank products
Most of what ruins a good bag is routine handling, and the fixes are 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 adjust the shape, and are not a licence to the row clothing force more in. Sunlight dries and fades leather; radiators and car dashboards do it quicker still. Rain is harder on unfinished surfaces than people assume, and neither suede nor raffia has much defence against it. Nothing on a shelf matches the effect of keeping a bag clear of sun, heat and water.
- Nothing stays in a stored bag, least of all receipts or anything that can transfer colour.
- Do not hang a soft bag by its handles for long stretches, because the drop stretches.
- A pouch keeps pens, keys and cosmetics off the lining.
- Wash your hands before handling pale calfskin or untreated suede.
Calfskin, from smooth to polished saddle
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. A soft dry cloth after use is the whole of routine care, used with the grain and concentrated on the corners and base where dirt collects. Sparingly and infrequently are the operative words for a neutral conditioner, provided you test it on a hidden panel first. An over-conditioned hide darkens unevenly, turns tacky and loses the structure you want to keep. Dark denim also transfers dye onto pale calfskin, so keep pale bags clear of indigo, and never scrub a transferred mark, since scrubbing 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. Exceptional softness, easy marking, and no tolerance for being worked on describe both. A dry soft cloth and nothing else is the correct answer, 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. Real protection is a pouch inside the bag, not a product applied to it.
Suede, the most demanding material in the line
Suede is consistently the more expensive choice here, and it demands a matching increase in care. Observed 2026 market prices spell the gap out: 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 thing most owners miss. 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. Past dry brushing, it is a professional’s job.
- A light brush along the nap after each wear, never scrubbing across it.
- Natural drying at room temperature, no radiators or hairdryers, then a brush once it is fully dry.
- Work dry marks away with a suede eraser and the lightest pressure.
- Do not attempt anything oily, coloured or set — it belongs with a leather specialist.
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. Each of those mats the nap or leaves 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, sisal, canvas, nylon, silk and satin: what cannot be fixed
Buy these knowing they are the least serviceable materials the brand uses. Neither the sisal family nor the woven raffia and linen totes are tanned surfaces, so there is nothing to condition, and no way to refinish a stained panel. Canvas and nylon wear well but react badly to solvents and hard scrubbing, which distorts the weave and leaves a clean patch that reads as damage. On silk and satin, water and skin oils leave permanent marks, 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. Because there is no repair to fall back on, rain and sunscreen are the two things to avoid completely.
| Surface | Routine care | What to never do |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth and grained calfskin | Buff with a soft dry cloth; neutral conditioner used sparingly and rarely | Conditioning too often; drenching a stain |
| The nappa and lambskin surfaces | A dry, soft cloth, light pressure | Conditioner or cream of any kind |
| Suede surfaces | Suede brush and eraser; professional cleaning for stains | Creams, soap, wet wipes and water-based cleaners |
| Sisal, raffia, canvas and nylon | A spot-clean with prompt blotting, then air drying | Soaking, solvents and hard scrubbing |
| Silk and satin | A professional; keep them dry | Any do-it-yourself cleaning |
Hardware and linings, the overlooked parts
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. 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. 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.
How to store them between wears
Quiet deterioration is a storage problem, and the fix is cheap. The dust bag it came with is the right home, lightly stuffed so the shape holds without stretching the sides. Use acid-free tissue, or 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. Keep the space dark, dry and ventilated, and avoid sealed plastic boxes that trap humidity against leather. Rotating what you carry counts for more than owners expect, because time off lets a bag recover its form.
The point at which it goes to a specialist
A clear line separates maintenance from restoration, and crossing it at home is how good row handbags get ruined. A leather specialist should take anything involving colour loss, ink, oil, water rings on suede or a stretched handle. 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. Because coated-canvas technique does not carry across, ask 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. One competent intervention costs less than the resale discount left by a botched attempt at home.
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