YSL Loulou Icon YSL Cassandre Bag

Caring for The Row Leather, Suede and Raffia Bags

What you notice first about one of these bags is what it does not have. No logo plaque needs protecting, no coated canvas to sponge off, no weight of hardware absorbing the knocks. What is left is a lot of bare surface: calfskin with the grain on show, lambskin linings, suede that marks at almost nothing, and in summer an unsealed raffia weave. The material, not a finish laid over it, carries almost the whole care burden of The Row bags. Simple to look after, unforgiving when you get it wrong.

The guide below is arranged by material, because that is how the decisions really divide. Opposite treatment goes to a grained calfskin tote and a suede top handle from the same season, with a sisal bag different again.

Before anything else: a caveat about care instructions

Nothing resembling a public care protocol has been issued, 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. Everything below is therefore 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: carefully, conservatively, always leaning toward doing less. A definitive brand-issued cleaning routine for these bags does not ysl straw bag exist, so anyone presenting one is filling a gap rather than quoting a source. Before anything goes onto a bag you care about, ask a professional.

What you do matters more than what you buy

Most of what ruins a good bag is routine handling, and the fixes are all behavioural. Overfilling is the fastest way to distort a soft silhouette, and owners make it most often with the Margaux and the Park Tote. The belted side gussets on the Soft Margaux adjust the shape, not making room for more. Leather is dried and faded by sun, and faster still on a radiator or a car dashboard. People underrate what rain does to unfinished surfaces, and suede and raffia are close to defenceless. Keeping a bag away from sun, heat and water covers more ground than any product on a shelf.

• Before storage, empty the bag completely, receipts and anything that can transfer colour included.
• 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.
• Handle pale calfskin and untreated suede only with washed hands.

Calfskin in its four forms: smooth, grained, saddle and polished

The most forgiving material in the line is also its backbone. 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, 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, tested first on a hidden panel. Over-conditioning leaves hide unevenly darkened, creates a tacky surface and takes out structure you wanted. 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, mostly on the inside

Nappa and lambskin show up more as linings than exteriors, which changes the way you protect them. Lambskin lines the Margaux Shoulder and the Bourse Clutch sets a calfskin exterior against a nappa lining, so the softest thing in the bag is what your keys lie against. Both mark easily, both are exceptionally soft, and neither rewards any attempt to work on it. Use a dry soft cloth, lightly and rarely. Skip conditioner entirely, because they are supple to begin with, and over-treatment leaves a greasy sheen you cannot remove. The protection that works is a pouch inside the bag, never something rubbed onto it.

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 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. That premium buys nap — which flattens, absorbs and stains more readily than any finished hide. The point most owners miss is simple: suede care is mechanical rather than chemical. A dedicated suede brush, worked gently in a single direction, raises 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.

1. After each wear, brush lightly along the nap, never scrubbing across it.
2. Allow a wet bag to dry naturally at room temperature, away from radiators and hairdryers, then brush it once it has dried completely.
3. Dry marks come away with a suede eraser, applied with minimal pressure.
4. Pass anything oily, coloured or set to a leather specialist rather than attempting it yourself.

What should never touch suede makes a short, absolute list: no leather cream, no conditioner, no wet wipes, no soap, no water-based cleaner. Matted nap or a ring that shows in every light is the result. 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

Of everything the brand uses, these are the least serviceable, and they should be bought with that understood. The sisal family, along with 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. Across all of them, the only home treatment worth attempting is spot-cleaning with a barely damp cloth and quick blotting. Prevention does all the work here, so keep them out of the rain and away from 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. Buckles and feet want nothing more than a dry cloth, and drying whenever they get wet, so moisture never sits 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. The cotton herringbone linings in the Soft Margaux 10 and 12 should be vacuumed out, never washed. Look at the stitching where the handles meet the body every so often, because catching a loose thread early costs a small repair instead of a large one.

How to store them between wears

Quiet deterioration is a storage problem, and it costs very little to fix. Use the dust bag that came with it, with light stuffing so the shape holds and the sides do not stretch. Use acid-free tissue, or a soft cotton scarf; newspaper does not, since 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. Keep the storage space dark, dry and ventilated, and steer clear of sealed plastic boxes, which 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

Crossing the maintenance-to-restoration line at home is how good row handbags are ruined, and that line 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, from loose stitching at a stress point to a lining torn away from its seam. Because techniques built for coated canvas do not transfer, ask whether the specialist has handled unlogoed luxury calfskin. Discreet testing and an honest answer are what a good specialist offers, because untreated hide holds some marks for good. The resale discount from a botched home attempt outweighs the price of one competent intervention.