The OD's Catini Brand Guide
Catini is Italian-designed menswear built on a working lifetime inside Italy's cloth trade — founded by Robert Carey, who started in Rome in 1974 and spent the best part of three decades running a buying office in Tuscany before putting his own name to a collection. The range is small, deliberately quiet, and engineered around two materials most brands never bother to explain. This is the complete guide to what Catini is, what the style families mean, how it fits, and how to buy it with confidence from OD's.
1 | Brand Overview — Quiet Italian Menswear
Catini makes warm-weather and transitional menswear for men who want cut and cloth rather than branding. There is no logo across the chest, no seasonal gimmick, and no attempt to be a full wardrobe. What there is: mercerised cotton t-shirts, nylon shorts that work in and out of the water, tailored jackets, technical trousers and co-ordinating tracksuit pieces — all built to be worn together.
Catini at a glance
- Founded by Robert Carey, after ~30 years in Italian fashion buying
- Design language Italian styling, Tuscan heritage — Stile Italiano · Spirito Toscano
- Range 114 pieces across eight named style families
- Core materials Mercerised cotton and nylon
- Price £59 – £200
- Fit Italian slim — most men size up one
- Sizes S – XXXL, plus waist 28–38 on selected shorts and trousers
The short version
If you want a wardrobe where everything goes with everything and nothing shouts, Catini is built for exactly that. If you want a logo, it isn't.
2 | Heritage & Philosophy — Fifty Years in Italian Cloth
Rome, 1974
Robert Carey traces Catini back to Piazza Venezia in 1974 and what he saw on the people around him — beautifully cut jackets, fine fabrics, and a way of dressing that looked effortless without being casual. That observation became a career rather than a holiday memory.
Tuscany, late 1980s
By the end of the eighties Carey had moved to Tuscany, near Montecatini Terme, and set up a fashion buying office called Agenzia 14. The job was sourcing: working directly alongside Italian clothing manufacturers and textile producers, seeing which mills delivered and which didn't, and learning cloth from the supply side rather than the shop floor.
Buying-office DNA
Catini was built by someone whose job was judging other people's garments for three decades. That shows in the edit — a small range with very little filler, and materials chosen before silhouettes.
Tuscan base
Montecatini Terme sits in the heart of Tuscany's textile country. Proximity to producers is the reason a range this size can be built around two well-specified materials rather than whatever is cheapest that season.
Core Philosophy
Catini's own line is Stile Italiano · Spirito Toscano — Italian style, Tuscan spirit. In practice that means restraint. Colour palettes repeat across families on purpose so pieces bought a year apart still work together, and detailing is limited to things that do a job: a contrast nylon shoulder panel, a zip pocket, a double button closure.
3 | Craftsmanship & Materials — Two Fabrics, Properly Used
Nearly the whole range runs on two materials. Understanding them is most of understanding the brand.
Mercerised cotton
Cotton treated under tension in a caustic solution. The fibre swells and straightens, which produces a faint natural lustre, a smoother hand, greater tensile strength and significantly better dye uptake.
Nylon
Catini's signature. Used solid for the Il Vento windbreakers and Baratti shorts, and as contrast panelling on shoulders and pockets elsewhere — the visual thread that ties separate families together.
Why mercerisation matters on a t-shirt
A standard jersey tee goes dull and slack. Mercerised cotton holds colour depth and shape far longer, because the treated fibre both takes dye more completely and resists the fibrillation that makes old cotton look fuzzy. It is the single reason a Catini t-shirt costs £59–£70 rather than £25, and it is also the reason the black actually stays black.
Read the colour names carefully
- Pale Linen is a shade, not a cloth. The Baratti Versatile Shorts in Pale Linen are nylon.
- Italian colour names run through the range — Nero (black), Grigio (grey), Arenaria (sandstone), Azzurro (blue), Celadon (pale grey-green).
Build details worth knowing
- Shoulder panels — contrast nylon set into the shoulder on selected Firenze tees, both a design signal and a wear point reinforcement.
- Zip pockets on the Baratti shorts, which is what makes them genuinely usable away from a sunbed.
- Double button closure on the Alcorto chino shorts — a small tailoring detail that cleans up the waist line.
- Adjustable hood and hem on the Il Vento windbreakers, with a full-length zip.
4 | The Style Families Decoded
Every Catini piece carries a family name, and the names are not decorative — each one is a distinct product line with its own material and purpose. This table doesn't exist anywhere else, including on Catini's own site.
| Family | Garment | What defines it |
|---|---|---|
| Firenze | T-shirts | Mercerised cotton. Plain, pocket and nylon shoulder-panel versions. The largest family in the range. |
| Baratti | Shorts | Nylon with zip pockets. Designed to cross from swim shorts to everyday shorts without changing. |
| Coporto | Hoodies, joggers, tracksuits | The co-ord line. Matching colourways across all three so pieces buy as a set or separate. |
| Trentino | Jackets | Tailored and tech-hooded styles with a slim cut. |
| Il Vento | Windbreakers | Nylon, adjustable hood and waist, full-length zip. Transitional-season layer. |
| Astratto | Shorts & t-shirts | The patterned line — abstract-print shorts with a matching mercerised cotton tee. |
| Alcorto | Chino shorts & trousers | Smarter cotton-chino cut with double button closure. |
| Intorno | Tech pants | The slimmest cut in the range, with nylon pocket detailing. |
How to use this
Pick a colour, then buy across families. A Firenze tee, Baratti shorts and an Il Vento jacket in shared tones give you a complete outfit that reads as considered rather than matching. That co-ordination is the whole design intent — it is why the palette repeats.
5 | Top Picks & Fit
OD's Top 3 Catini Picks
Firenze Nylon Shoulder Panel T-Shirt
The piece that explains the brand in one garment — mercerised cotton body, contrast nylon shoulder. If you buy one Catini item, buy this and judge everything else against it.
Baratti Versatile Shorts
Zip-pocket nylon shorts that swim and then go straight to lunch. The most genuinely useful thing in the range for a UK summer or a week away.
Trentino Tech Hooded Jacket
The slim tailored jacket with a hood — the one Catini piece that carries a full outfit through a British transitional season.
Quick Fit Reference
| Piece | Cut | Our advice |
|---|---|---|
| Firenze t-shirts | Italian slim | Size up one from your usual UK tee size |
| Trentino jackets | Slim, tailored | Size up if layering over a hoodie |
| Intorno tech pants | Slimmest in range | Size up unless you want it close |
| Alcorto chinos & shorts | Tailored | True to waist size |
| Baratti shorts | Regular | True to size |
| Coporto hoodies & joggers | Regular | True to size |
Not sure? Ring the shop.
- 01744 730985, Mon–Sat. We'll talk you through the cut on the specific piece.
- Between sizes and want the intended Italian silhouette? Take the smaller.
- Between sizes and want comfort? Take the larger — you won't lose the line.
6 | Catini-Specific Care
Two materials, two care routines. Get these right and the pieces stay looking new for years — mercerised cotton in particular rewards it.
Mercerised cotton — Firenze, Astratto, Alcorto
Wash cool at 30°C, inside out, with similar colours. Skip the fabric softener — it coats the fibre and kills the lustre that you paid for. Line dry rather than tumble; the treated fibre holds its shape well but heat is what causes shrinkage. Cool iron on the reverse if needed.
Nylon — Il Vento, Baratti, Intorno, panels and trims
Cool wash, gentle cycle, zips closed so the teeth don't catch the face fabric. Never tumble dry — heat is what damages nylon. Hang to dry away from direct heat and it dries in an hour or two. No ironing.
Baratti shorts after swimming
Rinse in cold fresh water as soon as you're out. Chlorine and salt left to dry in the fabric are what fade swim shorts, not the sun. Dry flat in shade.
The one that matters most
No fabric softener on the mercerised cotton. It's the single most common way people flatten the finish on a £70 t-shirt in three washes.
7 | Range & Positioning — Where Catini Sits
What the range weighting tells you
| Category | Pieces |
|---|---|
| T-shirts | 47 |
| Shorts | 27 |
| Jackets | 17 |
| Trousers | 9 |
| Hoodies · joggers · tracksuits | 12 |
| Co-ord sets | 2 |
Two thirds of the range is t-shirts and shorts. Catini is a warm-weather and transitional brand that happens to make good jackets — not an outerwear brand with some tees attached. There is no heavy winter outerwear and no formal tailoring, and buying it expecting either is the one way to be disappointed.
Price positioning
£59 to £200. T-shirts occupy the £59–£70 band, shorts sit around £70, trousers and jackets run to the top of the range. That places Catini above high-street own-label and below the established Italian houses — the same bracket as the better contemporary European menswear we stock, with the money going into cloth rather than a licence fee.
Who it's for
Men who dress in plain colours, care how a shoulder seam sits, and would rather nobody could name the brand from across a room. Look elsewhere if you want a statement logo, a technical shell for real weather, or a relaxed oversized cut.
8 | Shop Catini at OD's — Real Stock, Real Prices
Catini lands Wednesday
The first Catini delivery arrives this Wednesday and goes straight onto the rail at 44 Barrow Street and onto the site the same day. Sign up on WhatsApp below and we'll message you the moment it's live — you'll see it before it hits the collection pages.
Can't see the colourway you want?
We hold more Catini in the shop than we can list at any one time. Ring 01744 730985 or message us and we'll check the rail.
9 | FAQs — Catini-Specific Intelligence
Who is behind Catini?
Robert Carey. He started in Italian fashion in Rome in 1974, moved to Tuscany near Montecatini Terme in the late 1980s and ran a buying office called Agenzia 14 working with Italian manufacturers and textile producers, then launched Catini after roughly three decades in that trade.
Is Catini made in Italy?
Catini is Italian-designed and built out of the founder's long-standing relationships with Italian manufacturers and textile producers in Tuscany. If country of manufacture is decisive for a particular piece, ask us and we'll check that specific item before you order.
Does Catini come up small?
Yes. It is cut to an Italian slim fit through the body and shoulder. Most men who normally wear a classic or relaxed fit are happier one size up, particularly in the Firenze t-shirts, Trentino jackets and Intorno tech pants.
What is mercerised cotton and is it worth paying for?
It is cotton treated under tension in a caustic solution, which swells and straightens the fibre. That gives a subtle lustre, a smoother hand, more strength and much better dye uptake. You notice it after twenty washes, when a standard jersey tee has gone dull and slack and the mercerised one hasn't.
Can Baratti shorts actually be worn for swimming?
Yes — that is what the family is designed for. Nylon construction with zip pockets, so they work in the water and then as ordinary shorts for the rest of the day. Rinse in fresh water afterwards and dry flat in shade.
Do Catini pieces from different families go together?
Deliberately so. Colourways repeat across families, and the nylon panel detailing runs through the range as a common thread. Coporto hoodies and joggers are made to be worn as a set, and Astratto shorts have a matching t-shirt.
What is the difference between Firenze and Astratto t-shirts?
Firenze is the plain and panelled mercerised cotton line — the everyday tee. Astratto is the patterned line, cut to pair with the matching Astratto shorts.
Is "Pale Linen" actually linen?
No. Pale Linen is a colour name that runs across several Catini families. The Baratti Versatile Shorts in Pale Linen are nylon. Check the material on the individual product page rather than assuming from the colour.
How should I wash Catini mercerised cotton?
Cool at 30°C, inside out, no fabric softener, line dry. Softener coats the fibre and flattens the lustre that makes mercerised cotton worth the money in the first place.
Is Catini good value against other Italian menswear brands?
At £59–£200 it is strong value, because the spend goes into cloth and cut rather than branding. If a recognisable logo is what you're buying, your money goes further elsewhere.
10 | Why OD's × Catini
What OD's Provides
- Real stock, real advice. We've sold designer menswear from Barrow Street since 1992. If a cut runs small we tell you before you order, not after.
- Two colourways side by side. Catini's palette is subtle — Grigio Grey and Celadon Grey are a different proposition in daylight. Come in and look.
- Next-day UK delivery and free click & collect from the shop.
- A phone that a person answers. 01744 730985, Mon–Sat.
The Philosophy Match
Catini is a brand built by someone who spent thirty years judging other people's garments before making his own. That is more or less our job description too. We buy a small, considered range rather than everything a label offers, and we'd rather sell you one t-shirt that lasts than three that don't — which is the same argument Catini makes with mercerised cotton.
Our verdict
Catini is a genuinely good buy for quiet, well-cut warm-weather menswear that co-ordinates without effort. The materials are properly specified, the fit is honest Italian slim, and the money goes where it should. Buy the Firenze tee first — it tells you everything about the brand in one garment.