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The $5,000 Suede Mystery: Chasing The Row’s Margaux Bag
- xoxo.minang
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
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$5,000 for a suede bag. That was my first thought when I heard about The Row’s Margaux— steep, even by luxury standards. But at the same time, it sounded like the perfect candidate for the dissection table. And judging by the number of requests I’ve received for this particular bag, it seems you all agree. So last week, while I was in Paris for the Business of Fashion 500 Gala, I decided to take my chance. There’s a Row store right there in the city, and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finally get my hands on one.
The Paris Hunt
I walked into the minimalist, serene boutique — the kind of space that feels like a museum of quiet luxury. My mission? To bring back a Margaux bag in suede for the ultimate leather analysis. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side that day. The store didn’t have any Margaux bags in suede. In fact, they only had two suede items, and to be honest, it’s hard to even call them “bags.” They were more like soft sculptures than functional accessories.
Curious, I had my team check The Row’s website once I returned. Still, no Margaux in suede. Not a single trace of it. Then we dug a bit deeper into online forums, and that’s when things started to sound even more interesting. Apparently, the Margaux in suede is a unicorn — incredibly hard to find, and often unavailable anywhere online. Some fans claim to have waited over a year just to get their hands on one. It’s beginning to sound like another Birkin-style legend in the making.
Why Suede Deserves Its Spotlight
Now, this little chase inspired something bigger — a full Suede Week here on Leathertainment. Suede has always been my first love in the leather world. It’s the material I grew up working with in my family tannery, and to this day, I consider it one of the purest expressions of leather craftsmanship. Suede may look soft and unassuming, but behind that delicate texture lies an entire world of tanning artistry.
Suede comes in an incredibly wide range of quality. At the bottom end, you have suede that’s barely leather — coarse, thin, and prone to wear. At the top, you find suede so fine and rich it feels almost like silk under your fingers. That upper echelon of suede takes years of experience, precision, and artistry to master. And when done right, it’s a material that can rival or even surpass the appeal of traditional full-grain leather.
Six Months in the Making
For the past six months, I’ve been traveling across the globe — from Italy to Turkey and Spain — chasing suede. I wanted to understand it not just as a craftsman but as a creator. Every tannery I visited had its own secrets: different hides, buffing techniques, and dyeing methods. Each suede told a different story about where it came from and who made it. This journey has all been leading up to something special — the development of my very first suede bag collection.
A Velvety Week Ahead
So this week, I want to take you behind the scenes of that journey — from the mistakes I made early on to the incredible artisans I met who helped me see suede in new ways. I’ll share what separates premium suede from the “washable” kind you see on cheaper bags, how to maintain and protect it, and why luxury brands like The Row or Hermès charge thousands for it.
But here’s where I need your help. I want this Suede Week to be a conversation. What do you want to know about suede? Care tips, leather sourcing, price breakdowns, or maybe a comparison between suede and nubuck? Drop your questions in the comments — I’ll do my best to answer them all.
And if, by any miracle, you know how I can get my hands on a Row Margaux bag in suede, my DMs are wide open. Because if I find one, it’s going straight to the dissection table. Until then, let’s make this week’s Leathertainment a little softer, a little deeper, and a whole lot velvetier.