Son of Mango fashion chain founder arrested in Spain over death of father

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

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

Although an initial investigation by the Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, had regarded it 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 to the media 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, who was 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 and “realised that having the same name, having the same brand, in all the shops would make the concept much stronger”, added De Vicente.