How to Care for The Row Leather, Suede and Raffia Bags

What you notice first about one of these bags is what it does not have. There is no logo plaque in the way, no coated canvas to wipe down, no heavy hardware taking the knocks. What you get in exchange is exposed surface: calfskin showing its grain, lambskin linings, suede that marks at the smallest provocation, and a summer raffia weave with no seal on 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.

This guide is organised by material, because that is how the decisions actually break down. 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.

Start here: 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, built on how calfskin, lambskin, suede, canvas and raffia behave, not on instructions issued by the label. A good leather specialist would be cautious, conservative and biased toward doing less, and so should you. If someone hands you a definitive brand-issued cleaning routine for these bags, they are filling a gap rather than citing a source. If the bag matters, consult a professional before putting anything on it.

Behaviour beats product, saint-bags.com/handbags every time

The bulk of the 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 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 cramming more in. Leather dries and fades in sunlight, with radiators and car dashboards accelerating both. Rain does more harm than people assume on unfinished surfaces, and suede and raffia have almost no defence against it. No product on a shelf covers as much ground as simply keeping a bag away from sun, heat and water.

• 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 drop stretches.
• A pouch keeps pens, keys and cosmetics off the lining.
• Clean hands before touching 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. Scuffs and shine both show on smooth calfskin, matte grained calfskin hides them well, and polished saddle leather falls between the two. Routine care stops at a soft dry cloth after use, worked with the grain, with attention to the corners and base where dirt collects. Neutral conditioner can go on sparingly and infrequently, with a test on a hidden panel first, and the emphasis belongs on both words. Darkening, tackiness and lost structure are what over-conditioning buys you. Because pale calfskin picks up dye from dark denim, keep light bags away from indigo and never scrub a transferred mark, since scrubbing spreads it.

Nappa and lambskin: linings more than exteriors

Because both are more often lining than exterior, the approach to protecting them changes. The Margaux Shoulder is lined in lambskin and the Bourse Clutch pairs a calfskin exterior with a nappa lining, so the softest material in the bag is the one your keys sit against. Both are exceptionally soft, both mark easily, and neither responds to being worked on. Use a dry soft cloth, 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. Protection here means a pouch, not a product.

Suede: where the care burden peaks

Suede commands a consistent premium at this label and comes with a matching increase in care. The gap is plain in observed 2026 market prices: India 10.00 runs $3,850 in leather and $5,370 in suede, and Agnes 15 is $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. Most routine wear is handled by a dedicated suede brush alone, used gently in one direction to lift the nap and clear surface dust. Past dry brushing, it is a professional’s job.

1. A light brush along the nap after each wear, not a scrub across it.
2. Let a wet bag dry naturally at room temperature, well away from radiators and hairdryers, then brush the nap back up once it is fully dry.
3. Dry marks come away with a suede eraser, applied with minimal pressure.
4. Leave anything oily, coloured or set alone — send it to a leather specialist.

Never put leather cream, conditioner, wet wipes, soap or a water-based cleaner on suede — a short list, and an absolute one. Every one of them mats the nap or leaves a ring visible in every light. Over a year, regular brushing beats any treatment, which makes the realistic standard prevention rather than repair.

Raffia and sisal, canvas and nylon, silk and satin

These are the least serviceable materials in the brand’s range, and they should be bought with that understood. The sisal family and the woven raffia and linen totes are not tanned surfaces, so nothing can be conditioned and no stained panel can be refinished. 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. A barely damp cloth, a spot-clean and a quick blot — and that is the whole of home treatment for these materials. Here, prevention carries everything, so keep them clear of rain and sunscreen.

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 exists to create shine, and it 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 if they get wet so moisture does not sit in the join. The Margaux has engraved buckles and base feet, and dust settles into those recesses, and a soft brush clears it better than a cloth. Vacuum cotton herringbone linings, as found in the Soft Margaux 10 and 12, instead of washing them. 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.

Between wears: storage that works

Storage is where good bags quietly deteriorate, and the remedy is cheap. Use the dust bag it came with, lightly stuffed so the shape holds without stretching the sides. Either acid-free tissue or a soft cotton scarf will do the job, but not newspaper, because the ink transfers. Because shape survives emptiness but not weight, store bags upright on a shelf rather than stacked under others. Dark, dry and ventilated is what the space needs, with no sealed plastic boxes to trap humidity against leather. Because form comes back to a bag that rests, rotating what you carry does more good than owners realise.

Knowing when to stop and call a specialist

A clear line separates maintenance from restoration, and crossing it at home is how good row handbags end up ruined. Anything involving colour loss, ink, oil, water rings on suede or a stretched handle belongs with a leather specialist. The same goes for structural work, loose stitching at a stress point or a lining torn away from its seam included. Ask whether the specialist has handled unlogoed luxury calfskin, since techniques built for coated canvas do not transfer. A good one will test discreetly and tell you when a mark 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.