August Gill Apparel was founded in 2020 by Rannette A. amid a pandemic and racial unrest. With a need to rediscover who she is as her true self, Rannette found she had been muting her authentic voice and masking who she is as a Black woman, a daughter of a Belizean immigrant, an Eastside Detroit native, a mother, and a wife. 

Initially crafting messages to wear as a cue to have the courage to speak up in her own way and to confidently be her true self, Rannette found she was having more conversations about her story. In doing so, others were requesting shirts of their own, and August Gill Apparel was created. 

Augustus, Rannette’s father who became a citizen after immigrating from Belize, means “magnificent.” The August Gill name is a mashup in representation of Rannette’s maternal and paternal lineage, and a tribute to the one-of-a-kind background that makes up who she is, and who she will become. 

August Gill Apparel is a company with a mission to inspire conversation through using your voice and being unapologetically heard.