Founder of Spanish fashion brand Mango dies after 100m cliff fall

Founder of Spanish fashion brand Mango, Isak Andic, has died after a hiking accident, aged 71.

Mango CEO Toni Ruiz paid tribute to the non-executive chairman and founder after his “unexpected” death on Saturday near Barcelona. 

“His departure leaves a huge void but all of us are, in some way, his legacy and the testimony of his achievements,” she said. 

The businessman slipped and fell more than 100 metres from a cliff while hiking with relatives in the Montserrat caves, a police spokesperson 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.”

Catalonia president Salvador Illa Roca also remembered Andic as a ” a committed businessman” who will leave an ” indelible mark on the Catalan and global fashion sector”. 

Andic’s family moved from Türkiye 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.

As of 2024, Mango has 2,700 stores in 120 markets around the world, with expansions plans in the US. 

It set a company record of 3.1 billion euros ($5.1 billion) in sales in 2023. 

Wires/ABC