He remembers a few images in particular. There was a propeller plane flying over New York City. And a black-and-white photograph of a woman in shadow. Something about it caught his eye, drew him in. She was this beautiful, fabulous silhouette, and he found himself imagining a life for her, building a story around where she’d been and where she was going. He’d also fallen for another old photograph of a woman jumping into the street with an umbrella; she was so elegant, and he was enamoured by the shot. Little did he know it was a photo by Richard Avedon! But in seeing it, he started to realise that he wanted to create similar images and tell stories through them.

Later in his 20s, Schuller enrolled at the University of the Arts in Berlin to study photography under F.C. Gundlach and fashion design under Vivienne Westwood. Again, the contrast between him and his fellow students was stark. Many of them were fascinated by the grey, subdued reality of East Berlin, creating work that reflected its monochromatic, proletariat essence. Schuller, however, was enraptured by colour. By boldness. By life in all its vivid forms!

While other children ached to fit in, Schuller made a point to stand out. He received his first sewing machine (and his first camera!) at the age of 12, and he could hardly wait to start creating. He cobbled together outfits—so garish he’s glad photographs of him wearing them are buried deep in the annals of his family history—he proudly wore to school. And when he was at school, he forgot about his lessons and let his imagination run wild. He was captivated by the books he suddenly had access to. He’d spend hours thumbing through them, poring over the images inside. 

It was during a production with Vivienne Westwood that Schuller first encountered his wife, Peggy. The click was immediate. Though Schuller would eventually abandon fashion in favour of photography, he and Peggy would continue to collaborate over the years. Her designs have been a central fixture in his photographs.

Schuller loved fashion and costume design, but he quickly understood that creating fashion is a very long process; it was like making a film. The creation unfolds over a whole season, and there are so many details involved. The best designers were absorbed by detail. But with a camera in hand? He could create almost instantaneously. As soon as he picked a camera up, there was a vibration. There was a connection as instant and strong as he had when meeting Peggy. While he felt the pull of the camera far more than the sewing machine’s siren song, fashion became the guiding light for his work, the nucleus of his oeuvre. 

The last decades have seen Schuller on a meteoric rise to fame. His distinctive style and buoyant energy have landed him work shooting for publications like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Tatler and Elle, allowing him to work with the brightest stars (think: Cate Blanchett and Jeff Koons) and the best models in the business. The days of pandering to agents, gallerists and clients are a distant memory. Instead, Schuller remains true to his vision. He protects his signature in his work—deviating occasionally, sure—but always maintaining that red thread, always ensuring that what he creates is distinctly and undeniably Schuller. Colourful. Captivating. Effervescent.

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