When Isak Andic’s will was opened in the presence of his children, one of the executors reminded them of their father’s firm intention to establish a charitable foundation, to which he planned to leave part of his estate. The founder of Mango had already shared the idea with them, which he was shaping with the support of friends, advisors, and lawyers. But he had not formalized it in a will that, as seen that day, divided the Mango empire equally among his three children, as planned: Jonathan, Judith, and Sara. The children’s response was not very receptive: they would take care of that matter themselves, if at all. Nothing is known, for now, about the unborn Isak Andic Foundation, which according to various sources interviewed by EL PAÍS in recent months was “Andic’s most important work” and “his legacy to the world,” with which he hoped to be remembered beyond the fashion sector.
Isak Andic did not have time to launch the foundation that, according to various sources, was his great life project, “his way of leaving something to society and being remembered.” Death surprised him, at 71 years old, during an excursion with his son Jonathan on a simple dirt trail in the Montserrat mountain. It happened at noon on December 14, 2024. This Tuesday, 521 days after an event that first seemed like a simple mountain accident, the Mossos d’Esquadra arrested Jonathan Andic as a suspect of homicide. The provisional detention order issued by the judge — he was able to avoid jail after posting a bail of one million euros within minutes — mentions the alleged “active and premeditated” participation of the eldest son in the death.
Based on the police reports submitted to the case, the judge cites economic disputes and, in particular, the establishment of the foundation as the motive behind Jonathan’s alleged impulse to end his father’s life. There was “a possible economic motive with the creation of the foundation,” the order issued by Martorell judge Raquel Nieto Galván, who is handling the case, states.
Investigators have analyzed the WhatsApp conversations between Isak and Jonathan. And in this way, they learned that, in mid-2024, a few months before the event, the eldest son “became aware that his father intended to change the will by creating a foundation to help people in need,” the order adds. This news caused an apparent change in Jonathan’s attitude. Until that moment, he had shown to be “obsessed with money” (he even asked his father for an “inheritance during his lifetime”), but upon learning about the foundation, he admitted that his attitude towards money “was not correct,” always according to the judicial account. In any case, the idea to talk about this and other matters with his father to “reconcile” during a hike in the Montserrat mountains — Isak liked to talk about any kind of matter while walking — came from Jonathan, and the hike finally took place on December 14.
Beyond what is known so far through the order, this newspaper has tried to reconstruct Isak Andic’s efforts to establish a foundation similar to others promoted by his friends from the Catalan bourgeoisie. Andic, in fact, planned to invite some of them to the new foundation, which would also serve to “put order in his social action.” The sources consulted indicate that the businessman had planned to leave “a part of his fortune” and had hinted that this step could cause problems with his children. Other sources, however, emphasize that this contribution did not represent a “significant patrimonial reduction” for the children, who were to share an empire valued at 4.5 billion euros: shortly before dying, Isak Andic had risen to the 5th position among the richest in Spain, according to Forbes magazine.
Read more 6 slimming swimsuits for women that shape the figure and are super comfortable
The foundation was projected in different ways. According to some sources, at first the owner of Mango even considered the idea of leaving part of the company’s shares (of which he owned 95%) in the hands of the foundation. Family spokespeople, however, categorically deny that there was any plan to “transfer shares” and point out that his will “was always for his children to assume his business legacy.”
In later, more concrete designs, it was about leaving part of the estate to allocate it to social work, as Mango had already been doing for years with contributions to charitable causes and its involvement in social organizations. During Andic’s lifetime, the company collaborated with entities such as the Vicente Ferrer Foundation (with aid programs in India), the Fero Foundation (to promote breast cancer research), or UNHCR (through university scholarships for refugee women). The sources consulted by this newspaper indicate that Andic liked to see tangible results from these contributions, meaning they were targeted, which is why the projects were very specific; for example, the Goals project in Bangladesh, for which the company gave half a million to build schools and develop sports activities.
The three children, trustees
The foundation was going to follow that path and go further by also adding lines of support for entrepreneurs, according to the same sources. In the last months of his life, with the support of friends and lawyers, Isak Andic had begun to give the project a clearer shape. The decision “was already made,” it was firm and involved drafting a new will (the last and definitive one had been signed in July 2023), according to the same sources. According to the project, his three children were to be placed as trustees and therefore the top responsible for the foundation. In return, they were to receive a “very important” financial allocation, according to the same sources. They would thus receive a kind of perpetual salary through the foundation.
“Isak Andic always showed a strong commitment to various social causes, and both Mango and the family will continue working, as has been done so far through various initiatives, to keep this legacy alive. If at any time a foundation is created to channel these social causes, it will be announced in due time and form,” authorized family spokespeople told this newspaper when asked about the foundation.
