Shopping: Shoptalk

HIP COVENT Garden clothes shop, Koh Samui, is well known for its sophisticated and colour-coded clothes rails and for the troupe of fashion folk and celebrities that march through its doors. From pounds 49 for a Christa Davis vest to pounds 1,200 for a Ruti Danan dress, it's not difficult to see what attracts shoppers such as Kylie Minogue, Kate Moss and Bjork to the coathangers supporting garments by fashionable young designers such as Lainey Keogh, Tristan Webber, YMC and Dries Van Noten.

Four years ago, Paul Sexton and Talita Zoe gave up their jobs to open Koh Samui in order to sell the sort of clothes that they themselves like. The idea was that it would serve as a showcase for young British fashion designers and, besides the friendly service, customers can enjoy the opportunity to pick up a little something by a soon-to-be-noticed designer - although these days it is equally likely to be someone from the international scene.

The pair are credited with having just about the best eye that there is for spotting the Next Big Thing; in fact, these champions of British design are doing so well that the owners of the exotically named store opened a second shop in Knightsbridge earlier this month.

The new Koh Samui shop is at 28 Lowndes Street, London SW1 (0171-838 9292); the original is at 65 Monmouth Street, London, WC2 (0171-240 4280)