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Looking After The Row Leather, Suede and Raffia 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 sponge off, no bulky hardware soaking up the bumps. What you have instead is a lot of exposed surface: calfskin wearing its grain openly, lambskin linings, suede that marks at almost nothing, and in summer a raffia weave with nothing sealing it. Care for The Row bags rests almost wholly on the material rather than on any finish laid over it. The result is a bag that is simple to maintain and merciless when you get it wrong.

The guide below is arranged by material, 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 needs something different again.

A necessary caveat on care instructions

No public care protocol exists for these bags, because The Row does not publish one. No manual, no published cleaning chart, no brand-approved product line accompanies 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. Treat it the way a good leather specialist would: cautiously, conservatively, and biased toward doing less. No definitive brand-issued cleaning routine exists for these bags, so anyone who presents one is filling a gap rather than quoting a source. If the bag matters, consult a professional before putting anything on it.

What you do matters more than what you buy

Most damage to a good bag comes from routine handling, and the remedies are behavioural rather than chemical. Nothing distorts a soft silhouette faster than overfilling, and it is the error owners make ysl crossbody bag most often with the Margaux and the Park Tote. The belted side gussets on the Soft Margaux are there to let you adjust the shape, not for forcing more inside. Sunlight both dries and fades leather; radiators and car dashboards do it faster. Rain does more harm than people assume on unfinished surfaces, 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.

• Empty the bag before storing it, receipts and anything else that might transfer colour included.
• 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.
• Wash your hands before you handle pale calfskin or untreated suede.

Calfskin: smooth, grained, saddle and polished

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 falls between the two. Routine care is a buff with a soft dry cloth after use, going with the grain and concentrating on the corners and base, where dirt gathers. Neutral conditioner can go on sparingly and infrequently, after a test on a hidden panel, and both of those words carry weight. Over-conditioning leaves hide unevenly darkened, creates a tacky surface and takes out structure you wanted. Because dye moves from dark denim onto pale calfskin, keep light bags away from indigo and never scrub a transferred mark, since scrubbing spreads it.

Nappa and lambskin, usually found inside

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 — which puts the softest material in the bag right where your keys sit. Each is exceptionally soft, each marks easily, and neither one responds to being worked on. Use a dry soft cloth, lightly and rarely. Avoid conditioner altogether, because the hides are already supple, and over-treatment leaves a greasy sheen that never comes out. Protection here means a pouch, not a product.

Suede: the most demanding material in the line

A consistent premium attaches to suede at this label and calls for a matching increase in care. Observed 2026 market prices spell the gap out: India 10.00 is $3,850 in leather and $5,370 in suede, while Agnes 15 goes $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 mechanical rather than chemical, which is the thing most owners miss. A dedicated suede brush, worked gently in a single direction, raises the nap and clears surface dust, and that alone handles most routine wear. Anything wetter than that belongs to a professional.

1. After each wear, brush lightly along the nap, never scrubbing across it.
2. Natural drying at room temperature, no radiators or hairdryers, then a brush once it is fully dry.
3. Work dry marks away with a suede eraser and the lightest pressure.
4. Pass anything oily, coloured or set to a leather specialist rather than attempting it yourself.

Leather cream, conditioner, wet wipes, soap and water-based cleaners are all banned from suede — a short list, and an absolute one. All of them either mat the nap or leave a ring that catches every light. The realistic standard is prevention, not repair, since regular brushing outperforms any treatment across a year.

Raffia and sisal, canvas and nylon, silk and satin

Of everything the brand uses, these are the least serviceable, and buy them knowing it. 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. Silk and satin pieces, including the small evening bags and knotted crossbody shapes, mark permanently with water and skin oils. For all of these, spot-cleaning with a barely damp cloth and quick blotting is the only home treatment worth trying. Because prevention carries the entire load here, rain and sunscreen are the two things to avoid completely.

Hardware and linings, the overlooked parts

What needs protecting is the finish: the hardware is palladium-plated with a matte or brushed surface. Metal polish is made for shine and will burnish a deliberately soft surface 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. 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. Because early attention turns a large repair into a small one, give the stitching at the handle roots an occasional look.

Storing a bag between wears

Quiet deterioration is a storage problem, and the fix is cheap. Put it back in the dust bag it arrived in, with light stuffing so the shape holds and the sides do not stretch. Either acid-free tissue or a soft cotton scarf will do the job, but not newspaper, because the ink transfers. Store bags upright on a shelf rather than stacked under others, since these silhouettes keep their shape empty and lose it under weight. Dark, dry and ventilated is what the space needs, and no sealed plastic boxes, which trap humidity against leather. Rotation matters more than most owners expect, because a bag that rests recovers its form.

When to hand it to a professional

Crossing the maintenance-to-restoration line at home is how good row handbags are ruined, 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 jobs fall on the same side of the line, whether that is loose stitching at a stress point or a lining torn away from its seam. Ask whether they have worked on unlogoed luxury calfskin before, since methods built for coated canvas do not carry over. Discreet testing and an honest answer are what a good specialist offers, since on untreated hide some cannot be lifted. A single competent intervention costs less than the resale discount a botched home attempt leaves behind.