Isak Andic, the soul of Mango, dies

When congratulated on the results Mango obtained, Isak Andic (Istanbul, 1953) always said that he did nothing, that it was the team's doing. The founder of a brand now global has passed away at 71 years old in an accident this Saturday, at a sweet moment for the group, immersed in the celebration of its 40th anniversary.

Born in Istanbul in 1953, into a Sephardic Jewish family, Andic moved to Barcelona with his parents and brother at just 14 years old. He soon began selling t-shirts and blouses he imported from Turkey, closing his first operation in an establishment on Via Augusta and going to find clients by car all over Spain. He started by importing and buying, then moved on to manufacturing his own products. Together with his brother Nahman, he opened the first Mango store in 1984, located at number 65 of Paseo de Gràcia.

A company that "was born in a humble way" and was almost named Bubbles and Scooter, as he himself explained a few months ago in one of his few public appearances, on the occasion of receiving the Kingdom of Spain Award for business trajectory. Andic was an extremely discreet businessman, but that day he was visibly moved, remembering colleagues like Mariano Puig and Enrique Legrain, "who gave good advice and integrated this immigrant into society."

Defined by those who knew him as a perfectionist, restless, generous, curious, detail-oriented, and with great determination, Andic said he still "had the spirit and enthusiasm of a young person." Throughout his career, he held positions such as vice president of Banco Sabadell and was a member of the International Advisory Board of the Generalitat and the Investment Advisory Council for Turkey. He was a member of the international advisory board of the IESE business school and presided over the Family Business Institute. He also linked with the cultural world, being part of institutions such as the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the Prado, and the Macba foundation.

Converted into the richest man in Catalonia, the founder and non-executive chairman of Mango leaves a leading fashion brand that has a presence in more than 120 countries, with revenues exceeding 3.1 billion euros and a workforce of 15,000 employees. After achieving historic results last year, the group has embarked on a new strategic plan to increase its sales by 1 billion euros in the next three years.

"His departure leaves an enormous void," said Mango's CEO, Toni Ruiz, in a brief letter, shortly after the businessman's death was announced. Andic was with his wife and son on an excursion through the Salnitre caves of Collbató, inside the Montserrat massif, when he fell into the void from a great height. "It is our responsibility, and this is the best tribute we can pay to Isak and which we will fulfill, to ensure that Mango continues to be the project that Isak envisioned and of which he would be proud," defended Ruiz, who arrived at Mango in the midst of a crisis in 2015, as financial director. In 2018, he was promoted to general director of the company and, two years later, he became its CEO. Since 2023, he has owned 5% of the company's shares.