The death of Isak Andic, founder of the Mango fashion chain, returned to the spotlight in Spain after Catalan police arrested and interrogated Jonathan Andic, the businessman’s son, on suspicion of involvement in the case. The billionaire died in December 2024 while hiking in the mountainous region of Montserrat, near Barcelona.
At the time, the initial version pointed to an accident. Isak Andic, then 71 years old, reportedly fell from a height of around 100 meters into a gorge while walking alongside his son.
Almost 18 months later, however, the investigation changed direction. According to information published by the British newspaper The Guardianthe Catalan police confirmed Jonathan’s arrest this Tuesday (19).
The case had been handled discreetly by Spanish authorities since last year. Reports published by newspapers The Country e The Vanguard indicated that investigators began to consider the hypothesis of homicide after identifying inconsistencies and elements considered incompatible with a simple accidental fall.
According to the The Countrythe police did not find a single piece of evidence that could explain Isak Andic’s death, but they gathered enough evidence to abandon the initial line of accident.
Already the The Vanguard reported that the Spanish Court still changed in September 2025 the status trial of Jonathan Andic, who went from being just a witness to becoming a possible suspect.
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The family avoided public comment during much of the investigation. In a previously released statement, the relatives said they trusted the authorities and said they believed that Jonathan’s innocence would be proven at the end of the process.
The arrest comes at a time of heightened attention over the future of the empire built by Isak Andic, one of the most influential businessmen in European retail.
Brand history
Born in Istanbul in 1953, into a Sephardic Jewish family, Andic moved to Catalonia at a young age in the late 1960s. He started selling t-shirts to schoolmates and, little by little, expanded the business to popular fairs and wholesale trade.
The first Mango store was opened in Barcelona in 1984. In the following decades, the brand became one of the largest fashion chains in Europe, with an international presence and strong expansion in global retail.
Andic’s business trajectory was often associated with his ability to transform a family operation into a global fast fashion brand, competing directly with European giants in the sector.
The death of the founder caused a strong repercussion in Spain at the end of 2024, mobilizing tributes from businessmen, politicians and executives in the fashion market.
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