Vixen Online Shoe Store & Elle Bené Collab to Form SHOEGASM ONLINE SHOE GALLERY!!

ShoeGasm Gallery will host its OFFICIAL Launch Party

Sat. May 14, 2011 

At the Ultra Chic, Uber Trendy Aloft Hotel

Come enjoy the chance to view, try on and purchase styles

from their collection!

Shoe Freak? Footwear Fetish?

This is GUARANTEED to be the ONLY one night stand

you won't regret the next day!

Bennika J. Lockley was born in Richmond, Va on December 4, 1978 and raised in the historic Highland Park District of the city. She graduated from John F. Kennedy high school where her desire began in fashion as she dabbled in designing clothes for herself and her peers. In line with her desire, she attended J. Sargent Reynolds Community College and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), majoring in Fashion Merchandising. Always having an eye for couture and the unusual, she designed and developed a clothing line, “Elle Bene’”, consisting of Women’s Apparel and Swimsuits. Over the past five years, Elle Bene’ has been featured in several Fashion Expos such as Richmond’s “Rip the Runway” and others in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area. While pursuing her career in fashion, philanthropy was always a driving force for her future endeavors. Bennika, a mother of two boys, began working closely with charitable foundations empowering her to start a non-profit organization of her own called S.I.S.T.E.R.S. (X). With the success of Elle Bene’ and the rapid growth of S.I.S.T.E.R.S. (X), she’s expanding her ventures with the launch of the new “Shoe-Gasm Gallery”.
Nicole Tyler (born Nicole Judge) was born in Livingston, NJ on June 11, 1980. She moved to Richmond, VA when she was five years old and has lived there ever since. She graduated from John Marshall High School and attended Virginia Commonwealth University for a short time, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Nicole has held the title of Entrepreneur, Project Manager, Recruiter, Stylist and Creative Designer, among others, but her most important role has been that of mother to her two beautiful daughters and wife to her loving husband.
Nicole’s flair for fashion began at an early age and was perfected by serving as a stylist / fashion consultant to her close friends and family. Nicole understood that no matter what your budget is, accessories are the wardrobe essential that can make a huge impact on your overall look. She had always been infatuated with shoes and wanted to open a shoe store, but was hesitant due to start up costs and the risk involved. At the end of December 2009, after the birth of her second daughter, Nicole also gave birth to Vixen Shoe Store, an online shoe store. Nicole built and maintained the site herself, researched several distributors to ensure her customers were getting an assortment of the latest shoe styles, and networked via every mode available including face to face and social networking. She eventually expanded her brand by offering couture shoe customizations.
Although she was pleased with the success of Vixen Shoes, Nicole aspired to take her venture to another level. She wanted the shoes she offered to be a combination of classic, timeless, cutting edge, chic, trendy, all while complementing the fashion choices of today’s woman. Always the opportunist, Nicole connected with local fashion designers and retailers, where she partnered with Bennika Lockley. The two minds collaborated and the vision for ShoeGasm Gallery was manifested.