TORONTO.- The Bata Shoe Museum announced the exhibition publication launch of Rough and Ready: A History of Cowboy Boots.

Rough & Ready is a richly illustrated history book that tracks cowboy boots from the early cattle trails to contemporary fashion, revealing the diverse craftsmanship that continues to shape and influence contemporary fashion. The book accompanies the acclaimed exhibition, Rough & Ready: A History of the Cowboy Boot, which opened at the Bata Shoe Museum in May 2025 in honour of the Museum's 30th anniversary, and runs until September 2026.

Written by Bata Shoe Museum Director & Senior Curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack, and published by Rizzoli, Rough and Ready includes engaging narratives, insightful interviews with Lee Miller, Lisa Sorrell and Jamie Nudie, and vibrant images that showcase the evolution of the cowboy boot through five transformative eras: “Real” explores multicultural origins and the authentic cowboys who wore them; “Rodeo” examines Western mythmaking through Wild West shows, early film, and dude ranches; “Rhinestone” delves into country western music, Nudie Cohn’s designs, and the shifting archetypes from Gene Autry’s moral code to John Wayne’s tougher persona; “Right” investigates the boots’ emergence as luxury commodities during the Reagan years and Urban Cowboy phenomenon; and “Reclaimed” presents contemporary reinterpretations from the Western-inspired fashion of Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams to modern bootmakers.

Complementing the foundation are in-depth essays by BSM Curator and Manager of Exhibitions, Nishi Bassi, and Assistant Professor of Indigenous Knowledges and Fashion Design, Parsons School of Design, Justine Woods.

"Cowboy boots tell a powerful story about labor, identity, and cultural transformation," says Bata Shoe Museum Director & Senior Curator, Elizabeth Semmelhack. "This book captures how footwear designed for one of the most demanding jobs became a cultural icon of both authenticity and defiance."

Publish Date: March 10, 2026 / Format: Hardcover / Category: Design - Fashion & Accessories / Publisher: Rizzoli Electa / Trim Size: 7-1/10 x 12 / Pages: 224 / CDN Price: $75.00 / US Price: $55.00 / ISBN: 978-0-8478-7416-3

As Director and Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum, Elizabeth applies her extensive cultural and art history background to guide the mission forward while exploring the multiple roles and meanings of footwear through innovative exhibitions. With over 30 exhibitions curated, Semmelhack has helped transform the Bata Shoe Museum into an internationally recognized center for footwear scholarship, revealing how shoes illuminate our understanding of diverse social, political, and cultural histories across time and geography. Named by FASHION Magazine as one of the world’s “top five game-changing fashion curators”, Semmelhack’s perspective and expertise have been featured in major publications, broadcasts, and television shows across the globe. She has authored nearly 30 articles and chapters as well as numerous books and catalogs, including Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture (2015), which has sold 40,000 copies worldwide.