All Access! Gabriela Hearst Co-Hosted a Brooklyn Concert in Support of the ACLU

Gabriela Hearst, Sheryl CrowBre Johnson/BFA.com

It was impossible to not feel a sense of togetherness in the crowd at Pioneer Works in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook on Saturday night. Designer Gabriela Hearst got the gang together for a benefit concert in support of the American Civil Liberties Union. Guests braved the winter chill for the inaugural Creatives for Freedom event—a special, sold-out night featuring performances by Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, Maggie Rogers, Taylor Meier, Mon Rovia, and Mark Ronson.

“We stand for women’s rights, democracy, and climate change,” Hearst told Vogue at the Brooklyn venue in the middle of all the action. “The ACLU, to me, seem to be the ones to be able to protect this stance right now.”

Dressed in ethereal silk to take to the stage, Maggie Rogers was feeling charged-up too. “Supporting the ACLU feels like a natural extension of the things I care about—connection, creativity, and community,” she said. “Especially in a moment where civil liberties feel fragile or under threat, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to lend my voice to this essential cause.”

Joining Hearst to throw their weight behind the cause over the weekend were the female-founded liquor brand Yola Mezcal and Ben Jerry’s—the latter, always vocal about their beliefs, kept appetites satiated with an onsite ice cream truck and sundae-making station. In between music sets, guests also perused artist Raúl de Nieves’ colorful glass installation “In the Light of Innocence” and noshed on complimentary falafel sliders and chips from The Butcher’s Daughter.

Nine-time Grammy Award-winning musician Sheryl Crow said that answering the call to headline the show was a no-brainer. “The ACLU and the work it does is more important than ever as we watch our democracy hang in the balance,” she told Vogue, kitted out in Hearst s designs. “As artists, not only do we enjoy the First Amendment, but we make a living off of being able to speak truth to power. For me, it has always been a part of who I am and what I do. To feel the threat of those in power when speaking up is very alarming. Tonight was inspiring, I was very happy to perform to an audience made up like-minded individuals who know how important our Constitution is."

Over the course of the night, attendees, including Grace Gummer, Daniella Kallmeyer, Raul Lopez, Bailey Moon, and Ella Snyder, could be spotted exploring Pioneer Works’ industrial halls, before making an obligatory stop at a toasty outdoor bonfire to recharge, make new friends, and warm up.

“Everybody needs hope, and they need to feel strengthened for the next three years ahead of us,” said Nahal Zamani, director of state campaigns, NPAD at the ACLU. “We are truly in a crucial moment. We need our sustenance to fight for our country to look—and act—the way that we need it to. I hope that everybody comes away from tonight feeling rejuvenated, filled with hope, and knowing that they are among so many other people that feel that our rights are essential.”

Crow captured the crowd’s attention by bringing all artists back to the stage to perform her 1996 hit If It Makes You Happy as a group, prompting a huge singalong. Mark Ronson was then on hand to DJ an after-party. Afterwards, the “night people”—as his new book is called—made their way to the Ace Hotel in downtown Brooklyn for a final nightcap.