Son of Mango founder arrested in Spain over father’s death

Police in Catalonia have arrested Jonathan Andic, the son of Mango fashion chain founder Isak Andic, and are questioning him in connection with his father’s death in the mountains near Barcelona almost 18 months ago.

Isak Andic, 71, died in December 2024 after apparently falling 100 meters down a ravine while hiking in Montserrat with his son. His death prompted tributes from politicians, journalists and the fashion world.

Although an initial investigation by the Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, regarded the incident as an accident, officers and judicial sources told El País and La Vanguardia last year that the case was being treated as a possible homicide.

On Tuesday, the Mossos d’Esquadra said Jonathan Andic had been arrested. A spokesperson for the Andic family confirmed that he was being questioned over his father’s death.

The newspaper El País said last year that police had found no direct or definitive evidence to explain what happened in the ravine, but had “come across a series of clues which, when taken together, had led them to move away from the idea of a mere accident and toward the possibility of a homicide.”

La Vanguardia reported that the judge overseeing the case changed Jonathan’s official status from witness to possible suspect in September last year.

The Andic family issued a statement at the time saying: “The Andic family has not and will not comment on Isak Andic’s death in all these months. However, they wish to show their respect for the ongoing investigations and will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities, as they have done so far. They are also confident that this process will be concluded as soon as possible and that Jonathan Andic’s innocence will be proved.”

Isak Andic, born to a Sephardic Jewish family in Istanbul in 1953, emigrated to Catalonia with his relatives in the late 1960s and started selling T-shirts to fellow high school pupils.

He progressed to running a wholesale business and sold clothes in street markets before opening his first Mango store in 1984.

“He saw that we needed colour, style,” Mango’s global retail director, César de Vicente, told Agence France-Presse in March last year.

Andic soon opened dozens more stores around Europe.

“He realised that having the same name, having the same brand, in all the shops would make the concept much stronger,” added De Vicente.