By Simeon Mpamugoh
•Dr. Summy Smart Francis and Dr. Joy Smart Francis at the art gallery
Lovers of visual art, fashion and beauty were recently treated to a birthday cocktail and grill event when A107 fashion, art and beauty galleries were unveiled at Adeola Hopewell, Victoria Island, Lagos. The red-carpet event, tagged “Style and Sip,” was a watershed moment for the initiator and chief executive officer, Dr. Joy Smart Francis, who fused her birthday party with the opening ceremony of the galleries.
Founder, Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs (A.Y.E) Organisation, Dr. Summy Smart Francis, the husband of the celebrant, commended guests for coming to grace one of the latest premium galleries in the city of Lagos. He said, “I appreciate the persuasion and creativity of the initiator to embark on the project, especially in such a way that one couldn’t say no. The easiest way a woman can warm a man’s heart is through love, and the man will do what he is supposed to do. So, I’m excited to see A107 fashion, art and beauty being unveiled.”
In a brief exhortation, Pastor Tobi Odeneye of the Elevation Church revealed that birthdays offer an opportunity to be grateful and thankful to God for miracles He has performed and successes recorded.
Dr. Joy Smart Francis explained that the combination of fashion, art and beauty was imperative to remaining stylish, because style elevates one’s confidence, adding, “The experience of salon services is one that helps one to elevate his/her confidence, and A107 is a place where people can come, leave stylish, and whatever is bedecked will be elevated.”
She disclosed that the different aspects of what were unveiled included “paintings of artworks that are high end, and stylish of people who have expressed their unique styles in painting, fashion and beauty as well as in the hair businesses.”
On how long it took her to plan and execute the project, Dr. Joy Francis, who recently received an Honorary Causa Doctorate degree in Business Development, and Social Impact from the Highstone Global University Texas United States of America in recognition of her over 15 years involvement in social impact, said social impact, for her, meant not just creating employment but also grooming people to employable and later create employment for others.
“So A107 galleries is an arm of what
I do as head of different organisations including sitting as Executive Director in Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs, which is an NGO heavy on social impact. The second organisation is the Entrepreneurship Village (E-Village), which is an innovative, creative, technology and business environment currently being built in Ondo State to provide an enabling environment for entrepreneurs in Africa to strive and of course represent the continent across the world,” she enthused.
On what informed the name A107. She said, “It is a trade secret, unique and iconic numbers and character that is personal to us. The iconic numbers are A1 and 07. A1 symbolizes an excellent result while the number 7 is perfection. So A107 is a marriage between excellence and perfection, a fusion that ensures that when you visit the galleries for any of its services, you have the best experience ever.”
One of the special guests and a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 2, Ahmed Ibrahim Iliyasu, who commended the initiative, said that the set up was a true reflection and expression of the lifestyle of the initiator, “This is an innovative idea which coincides with the celebration of her birthday. It’s not only about her birthday but also the art lovers, beauticians, fashionistas and people of honour and integrity standing behind her.”