Isak Andic, founder of Spanish fashion brand Mango, dies in hiking accident, aged 71

BARCELONA, Spain — Isak Andic, the founder of Spanish fashion brand Mango, has died after suffering an accident, the company said on Saturday. He was 71.

The businessman slipped and fell from a 150-meter cliff while hiking with relatives in the Montserrat caves near Barcelona, reported Spanish news agency EFE and other media outlets, including the La Vanguardia newspaper.

“It is with deep regret that we announce the unexpected death of Isak Andic, our non-executive chairman and founder of Mango, in an accident that occurred this Saturday,” Mango CEO Toni Ruiz said in a statement, without providing details.

“His departure leaves a huge void but all of us are, 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,” Ruiz said.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez paid tribute to Andic on social media, lauding his “hard work and business vision that transformed a Spanish brand into a global fashion leader.”

Andic’s Sephardic Jewish family moved from Turkey to Spain when he was young. He opened Mango’s first store in Barcelona in 1984 and over the following decades helped Mango grow into one of Europe’s leading fast fashion makers. He was worth $4.5 billion, according to Forbes.

He was seen as a rival to Amancio Ortega, the owner of Inditex, the world’s largest fast-fashion retailer.

Mango has 2,700 stores in 120 markets around the world. It set a company record of 3.1 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in sales in 2023. It is currently expanding in the US and plans to have 65 stores there by the end of 2025.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.