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Amazon has ordered The Collection, a period fashion drama from Primetime Emmy® nominee Oliver Goldstick, for its first UK series commission.

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Set in the post-World War II world of French haute couture, The Collection centers on two brothers of an illustrious Paris fashion house, now headed into a new golden age of design and business since emerging from the dark days of the Nazi Occupation. The story “exposes the grit behind the glamour and the treachery beneath the trappings of this empire, and all who work there.”

The eight-part drama, which marks Amazon’s first foray into the UK scripted content arena, is created, written, and executive produced by showrunner Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars, Lipstick Jungle, Ugly Betty), who stated:

“‘The Collection’ has been a passion project of mine for years; an entrepreneurial fable set in a pivotal moment in history, where fashion served as the ultimate vehicle for transformation and re-invention. It’s the story of a war-scarred family — upstairs and downstairs — tethered together by its success and its secrets.”

Producing the series is BBC Worldwide’s Lookout Point, (War and Peace, Ripper Street), with co-production partner Federation Entertainment, the producer of Marseille, the first original French drama for Netflix that stars film legend Gérard Depardieu.

Executive producing alongside Goldstick are Anne Thomopoulos (Rome, Borgia, Versailles) and Kate Croft (Murderland). Federation Entertainment’s Pascal Breton (Marseille) has signed on as the French co-production partner.

Others on the production team include Emmy-winning director Dearbhla Walsh (Penny Dreadful, The Tudors), BAFTA-winning producer Selwyn Roberts (Parade’s End, Strike Back), production designer Alison Dominitz (Casanova, Hotel Splendide), costume designers Chattoune & Fab (Dheepan, Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky), and casting director Rachel Freck (The Go-Between, Life in Squares).

Chris Bird, Amazon Video UK’s Film and TV Strategy Director, said this about The Collection:

“We’re delighted to be bringing such a smart, sophisticated period piece to Amazon Prime members in the UK. We aim to bring our customers the best international TV has to offer, and we’re sure our members will enjoy this window into the seemingly glamourous world of Parisian haute couture, perhaps hiding a more sinister undercurrent.”

Production on The Collection is scheduled to start in January 2016, with filming to take place in Wales and France. The series is expected to premiere later next year, exclusively in the UK for members of Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Although not mentioned in the announcement, it seems likely that Amazon will eventually expand the reach of The Collection into others of its Prime Video territories, including the US, Germany, Austria, and Japan.

The commission of The Collection follows Amazon’s highly-publicized huge paychecks to former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May for the streaming service’s new motoring show, as well as its pick-up and two-season renewal of the BBC-cancelled period crime drama Ripper Street, whose third series went on to be one of Prime Video’s most successful shows on both sides of the pond.

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The Collection: Amazon Commissions Its First UK Drama Series
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