A talented young local filmmaker has captured the story behind Walthamstow FC’s William Morris kit. He speaks to David O’Driscoll about his film and career so far

Filmmaker Xaymaca Awoyungbo, Credit: Talia Woodin

When you leave Blackhorse Road Station, you come face-to-face with a sign welcoming you to Waltham Forest, telling you how it is full of creativity.

Xaymaca Awoyungbo is a clear example of the homegrown creativity in this neck of the woods. He is a local young man making his way into the world and making a name for himself.

After finishing his degree at Warwick University, he is forging ahead with a career in journalism and documentary filmmaking and has started building up an impressive CV.

Xaymaca has done a lot of work as a Guardian sports writer. He specialises in live blogging of sporting events, mainly the Premier League.

He recently covered several Chelsea games and has also done cricket blogs. Xaymaca has branched out and written a number of opinion pieces in the Guardian; one on defending the humanities catches the eye.

His first major documentary work was on the challenging subject of racism in football and at Chelsea FC in particular. He won a competition to direct this for Chelsea, and he learned a lot about the craft of documentary filmmaking here.

Since then, Xaymaca has also done a couple of short films for the new Victoria and Albert Museum East, which is to open in May.

I caught up with him to discuss his recent excellent documentary on the story behind Walthamstow FC’s William Morris kit. It’s a lovely film that covers the story of replica kits and how they became popular, looking at the famous England World Cup-winning kit of 1966 and the Leeds kits of the 1970s.

But at the heart of it is the story of the Walthamstow FC William Morris kit, which became a bit of an internet sensation and was sold in large numbers across the world.

The film is a real labour of love for Xaymaca, for which he did not get any funding, but it’s very much a local film with contributions from the William Morris Gallery and Wood Street Walls, the people behind the idea of the kit.

Xaymaca says he is very open to exploring other local Walthamstow projects. To that end, he is setting up a website and YouTube channel called Stow Stories and is keen to connect with the local community for future documentary work.

He is planning a number of events for the film. The main one will be at the William Morris Gallery, but he is also planning another one in Orford House on 21st April.

The event will feature a kit customisation art class and portrait photography. There will be three screenings for Waltham Forest schools in April and May. Do catch it, as it is an outstanding film.

You can keep up with Xaymaca’s work by following Stow Stories on Instagram, and visiting his website.

Sign up to attend the screening of ‘Made in Walthamstow’ at Orford House on Monday 21st April here

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