Mango’s chairman Isak Andic honored with knighthood by the French state

Isak Andic, founder and chairman of Mango, was honored Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor, the highest order of merit given by the French state. Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, it recognizes individuals whose contributions to the country are considered to be outstanding.

”I dedicate this award to the 2700 Mango employees in France, who do an exceptional job with the help of the Mango headquarters in Barcelona”, said Andic during his acceptance speech. France is the second most important market for Mango, after Spain. The company operates over 200 stores in the country, on which it has invested more than 300 million euros.

Andic is not the only fashion professional to receive such an honor. Gucci’s CEO Marco Bizzarri, Alber Elbaz, Issey Miyake, Pierre Hardy and john Galliano all became commanders of the National Order of the Legion of Honor in recent years.

Andic is the richest man in Catalonia, with a fortune estimated in 1.23 billion US dollars, according to Forbes magazine. Born in Istanbul, he moved to Barcelona with his parents, at the age of 16. He founded Mango in 1973, after selling embroidered T-shirts and operating multi-brand outlets. His son, Jonathan Andic, who now serves as the company’s executive vice chairman, is expected to succeed him at the helm of the business.

In addition to working at Mango, Andic has held several positions at different institutions. For example, he served as vice-president of the Spanish bank Banco Sabadell until 2013. He is also a member of Turkey’s Investment Advisory Board.

Picture: courtesy of Mango. The French ambassador in France, Yves Saint-Geours; Isak Andic and the Consul General of France in Barcelona, Cyril Piquemal