The fashion sector and the Spanish business community mourn the death of Isak Andic, the founder of Mango. Andic, 71, was hiking in Barcelona, in the Salnitre Caves (Collbató), when, according to the Mossos d'Esquadra investigation, he fell down a ravine. He currently held the position of non-executive chairman of the company.
The court, which is trying to clarify the causes of Isak Andic's death, has already received the preliminary report of the autopsy and the initial statement of the Mossos, has concluded that it was an accidental event.
Isak Andic Ermay began his career with a clothes market in Barcelona and leaves Mango with more than 2,560 shops, a presence in 115 countries and more than 15,000 employees.
Andic was born in Turkey and arrived in Barcelona at the age of 14 with his family. He came into contact with the fashion sector in a business he set up with his brother Nahman.
Barcelona, the cradle of his empire
He began his popularity in the city of Barcelona, in the ‘Mercadillo de Balmes’ where he had the stalls Isak I, II and III. He also owned the shops ‘Roxi’ and ‘Palmera’ in Portal de l'Àngel and Portaferissa and later created ‘Isak Los Genuinos Tejanos’ in La Rambla.
Isak Andic wanted to soak up the latest fashion trends, to understand them, to live them. That's why he started travelling to Paris, London and Milan. It wasn't until 1984 that he created the first Mango shop in Barcelona, located on Passeig de Gràcia, and within a year, he already had four outlets in the city. The name of his shop also came from one of his trips. Specifically, in the Philippines, when he saw the mango fruit and discovered that it is spelled the same in all languages.
Mango began to expand in 1992 with two points of sale in Portugal and continued in 1995 in Asia, in 2002 in China and Australia and reached the five continents.
As for the future, in its two-year strategic plan that began in 2024, the Catalan fashion multinational plans to open more than half a thousand shops and exceed 4,000 million in turnover, double net profit and expand its workforce by at least 30%. In 2023 it closed the year with the best results in its 40 years, reaching 172 million and exceeding 3,100 million in turnover.