Fifteen years ago, Erik Rosete was a real estate agent with a sharp eye for beauty—and a knack for spotting talent. “I had these friends in L.A. who were gorgeous, but they were trying to make it in acting,” he recalls. “I thought they were wasting their time, so I invested some money and took my friend Sarah to New York to sign her with IMG Models—the biggest agency in the world.”
Rosete’s mission was simple: get Sarah signed. But when he pitched her, IMG liked him so much they offered him a position as a manager. “I wasn’t even planning on it,” he laughs. “I just wanted to help my friend. Suddenly, I was managing models.”
After six months, though, Rosete realized the modeling world wasn’t for him. “Models are high-maintenance, and things don’t always work out,” he says. Feeling defeated, he returned to L.A. to get back into real estate—but fate had other plans. A figure skater launching a fashion line asked Rosete to manage him, and that led him to a fledgling L.A. Fashion Week.
“The first show was a mess,” Rosete admits. “I thought, ‘You need to go to New York.’ Within six months, we went from L.A. to New York for our first show—Kendall Jenner, Alex Morgan, Entertainment Tonight, Cher Lloyd performing. It was huge.”
That experience planted the seeds for Art Hearts Fashion, Rosete’s production company that celebrates the creative forces behind fashion. “I wanted to do something for other artists,” he explains. The first Art Hearts Fashion show was such a success that the venue owner urged him to host a follow-up in just a month. Facing a shortage of designers, Rosete created his own brand, Mr. Triple X, earning the moniker “triple threat”—manager, producer, designer.
“I wanted something fun, a little ironic,” he says. “People immediately think of adult entertainment, but I turned that into something special. It gave me freedom to tell my story without attaching it to my name in case it flopped.” The second event became even bigger than the first, solidifying Rosete as a key player in fashion.
Art Hearts Fashion quickly became a platform for the unsung heroes of the fashion world—photographers, accessory designers, and visual artists. “It wasn’t just about one designer. Everyone behind the scenes got credit,” he explains. “It’s about celebrating creativity at every level.”
From L.A. to New York—and Beyond
L.A. was only the beginning. Rosete brought Art Hearts Fashion to New York, initially under Style360. A scheduling conflict with the Super Bowl threatened to cancel the event, but Rosete leveraged his contacts at IMG to secure a spot at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The result? A grand finale at Lincoln Center, drawing thousands of attendees during a blizzard and becoming the largest show they’d ever hosted.
“God is funny,” he says. “A cancellation forced us into the grand finale, and then the snow brought everyone to our show. Suddenly, we went from zero to hero.”
Since then, Art Hearts Fashion has expanded into Miami, Las Vegas, Ecuador, Guatemala, London, and Shanghai. L.A. Fashion Week has grown into a multicultural showcase featuring designers from Israel, the Philippines, Dubai, and beyond. “L.A. dictates fashion,” Rosete asserts. “What people wear on red carpets, tours, and events comes from Hollywood. We celebrate the designers making it happen.”
The Heart of L.A. Fashion Week
Rosete has focused on cultivating community in the heart of L.A.’s fashion district. “During the pandemic, downtown was tough—it became a homeless shelter. But now, it’s a creative hub with fabrics, showrooms, and talent all in one place,” he says. High-profile brands like Adidas, Nike Swim, Steve Madden, and Doc Marten collaborate with Rosete’s shows, seeing them as the epicenter of innovation.
The shows aren’t just about glitz and glam—they’re about purpose. Cancer Culture, part of the Art Hearts platform, highlights designs for women affected by breast cancer, creating functional, beautiful bras for survivors. Collaborations with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and AIDS Healthcare Foundation underscore Rosete’s belief that fashion can make a difference.
Mr. Triple X: Fun, Sexy, and Celebratory
Rosete’s own label, Mr. Triple X, brings the party to the runway. “It’s about celebrating something cool, fun, and sexy,” he says. “The focus is on men, but the women are accessories—part of the story, part of the fantasy.” From New York to London, the brand has become a highlight of every fashion calendar it touches.
Rosete is also proud of his creative community, noting that many of the designers and models he works with are LGBTQ+. “Fashion is about storytelling. What you wear can change your persona, your mood, your identity. It’s powerful.”
Looking ahead, Rosete remains committed to supporting designers, amplifying creativity, and giving credit where it’s due. “Fashion isn’t just clothes. It’s expression, it’s art, it’s community,” he says. And with Art Hearts Fashion and Mr. Triple X, Erik Rosete continues to ensure that every story is told—on the runway and beyond.
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