MUMBAI: The Mango high street fashion  brand has lost its founder Isak Andic. The 71 year old Turkish-born entrepreneur, who was an avid mountaineer and hiker, passed on over the weekend (Saturday)  doing what he loved dong the most exploring mountains.

According to reports in the Spanish media, he was on a family outing in the Montserrat mountains around 40 km northwest of Barcelona when he slipped in the Collbató saltpetre caves at midday and fell around 150 meters to his death. 

Andic was born in Istanbul in 1953 and his family moved to Spain in 1969. His fascination with the denim fabric led him to create a brand Isak Jeans in the early eighties. He opened several stories in Barcelona and Madrid. They were then renamed as Mango in 1984 and grew the enterprise along with his brother Nahman. 

Today, Mango has consolidated its position as one of the leading international fashion groups, with a major presence in more than 120 markets, close to 2,800 stores and 15,500 employees worldwide. The company aims to exceed 2,800 stores by the end of 2024 and to reach more than 3,000 stores worldwide by 2026. This growth will enable it to exceed one million square metres of retail space, highlighting markets such as Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, India, Canada and the United States. Mango has just a single brand and it does not own any factory, outsourcing its production mainly to lower-cost Turkey and Asia.

It registered a turnover of 3.1 billion euros in 2023  growing more than 15 per cent over 2022.  Almost 80 per cent of its sales are now generated outside of Spain. Forbes estimated Andic's net worth to be $4.5 billion  (£3.6 billion). He was the non-executive chairman of the group at the time of his passing. 

Paying tribute to Andic, Mango group CEO Toni Ruiz said: “Isak has been an example for all of us. He dedicated his life to Mango, leaving an indelible mark thanks to his strategic vision, his inspiring leadership and his unwavering commitment to values that he himself imbued in our company. His legacy reflects the achievements of a business project marked by success, and also by his human quality, his proximity and the care and affection that he always had and at all times conveyed to the entire organization. His departure leaves a huge void but all of us are, in some way, his legacy and the testimony of his achievements.”