Founder of fashion brand Mango, Isak Andic, dies in mountain accident

The 71-year-old businessman slipped and fell from a 150-metre cliff while hiking with relatives near Barcelona

Isak Andic, the Istanbul-born founder and owner of the fashion brand Mango, died on Saturday in a hiking accident, reported Reuters.

Isak Andic, the founder of Spanish fashion brand Mango, died in a mountain accident (AP)

The 71-year-old businessman slipped and fell from a 150-meter cliff while hiking with his family near the Montserrat caves close to Barcelona, according to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.

Mango CEO Toni Ruiz paid tribute to Andic, stating, "His departure leaves a huge void, but we are all, in some way, his legacy and the testimony of his achievements. It is up to us to ensure that Mango continues to be the project that Isak was ambitious and proud of."

Andic moved to Catalonia from Turkey with his family in the 1960s and founded Mango in 1984.

"He saw that we needed colour, style," the company's global retail director, Cesar de Vicente, said in an interview with news agency AFP in March 2024.

With a net worth of $4.5 billion, according to Forbes, Andic was serving as the company’s non-executive chairman at the time of his death. In 2023, Mango reported a turnover of 3.1 billion euros, with 33% of its business coming from online sales and a presence in over 120 markets.

Andic rapidly expanded, opening dozens of stores across Spain before branching out internationally, beginning with neighbouring Portugal and France, all under the Mango brand, reported AFP.

The head of the regional government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, praised Andic as “a committed businessman who, with his leadership, has contributed to making Catalonia great and projecting it to the world.”

"He leaves an indelible mark on the Catalan and global fashion sector," he added in a post of social network X.