
photo by Christa Tousley
People often ask Samantha Tousey, director of women’s buying at Minneapolis luxury retailer MartinPatrick3 (MP3), where she finds her style inspiration. Her answer is almost always the same: “I honestly don’t know,” she laughs as she poses for photos at our in-store interview last November. “I’ll just see something and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I love it.’ I’ve been like that from a really young age.”
“So, it’s kind of like a sixth sense?” I ask Tousey, who is clothed in a gray Gabriela Hearst coordinated set finished by a black Déhanche corset belt—a last-minute look she pulled from MP3’s racks moments before our shoot. “Exactly,” she affirms. Tousey’s “sixth sense” has brought MP3 womenswear far in the short time since its 2020 launch, leading the young department to what will be its second expansion in just two years. Set to be finished this summer, the project will see MP3’s space in the Colonial Warehouse Building expand to a total of 30,000 square feet, granting significant space for several women’s luxury brands to showcase more robust collections and host immersive trunk shows.
As a former buyer for Dior, Tousey has found passion in bringing a new kind of shopping experience to the women of the Twin Cities— one that grants them access to luxury brands they could previously only find in New York or Paris.
“Most large retailers, when they think of the Twin Cities, they assume, ‘Oh, it’s not a fashion city.’ But the clients here, they’re well-traveled, they’re into the arts, they know fashion, and they know the trends. I’m just really passionate about filling that void.”
We sat down with Tousey to chat about MP3’s ever-evolving womenswear line, and how she plans to capitalize upon its significant expansion this year.
You were a buyer at Dior before you came to the Twin Cities. How has your background in luxury fashion informed the work you’re doing today?
I was with Dior for nine years. It was fabulous. I think I learned a lot about the business aspect of buying as opposed to just the fashion side. It’s not just picking out pretty things, there’s actually a lot of math and data behind it.
What influences, if any, do you pull from the menswear department when sourcing? Is there an attempt to complement the menswear collections in order to create a cohesive identity?
I would say yes, in terms of brands. I think when people think of MP3, they have this idea that there are designer brands, and it’s an elevated shopping experience. And that kind of brings my background into play. When women’s first launched, it was a little bit more contemporary; a lot of loungewear and denim. Since I came on, my focus has been making sure that on the women’s side, you have that same high-fashion experience as you do on the men’s side.
When selecting brands, do you focus on any specific types of labels—local, emerging, sustainable, size-inclusive, etc.?
Definitely emerging. I think it’s exciting to find brands that people maybe aren’t familiar with. There’s a new brand that we brought on for spring/summer 2024 called AVIU, it’s Italian. It’s not well-known, but it has some really fun fashion pieces, and I think that’s sometimes where you find that.
Sustainability is also huge. For a lot of clients, especially younger clients, it’s something that’s really important to them. I love finding brands that have programs where you can return your unwanted items, or brands that produce garments with really great quality and longevity. There are some things that are just crazy, too. GANNI has a handbag that’s made out of an orange peel, and they have another handbag made from olive oil. You hear these things and you’re like ‘How is that even possible?’ But it’s also very exciting.

photo by Christa Tousley
What are some of your primary sourcing destinations?
New York, Paris, and Milan are the main three. It’s fun because there’s so much that you can pick up on just from walking the streets. You’ll start to kind of absorb everything. It’s not talked about as much, but street style is still so important.
MP3’s all-black attire menswear show is one of your biggest events of the year. Are there plans to create a womenswear show of the same caliber?
There’s definitely some things in the works for 2025. We’re very excited to be doing some events that are more female-focused and bringing about that engagement that we sometimes have on the men’s side.
What are some trends or styles you’re excited to see shoppers wear this winter and early spring?
We’ve been talking about red for a while, but on the spring/summer 2025 runways it came hard. There was just so much red. I’m also so excited about long shorts. I’m starting with that for my February delivery. You can get them in denim, you can get them as a suit set, it’s just going to be a very dominant style. And then also, tin coats. Some people are calling them barn coats, but I feel like everybody will be wearing them for spring.