Trendiness. Tradition. Rhinestones. Rodeos. The cowboy boot is the ultimate footwear chameleon. Over the years, the iconic silhouette has symbolized countless different ideas, values, and lifestyles. That famous block heel has made an imprint everywhere from the ranch to the runway.
Rough & Ready: A History of the Cowboy Boot, a new exhibit at the BAFTA Shoe Museum in Toronto, explores this fascinating crossover artist’s place in modern history. The exhibit, which opened May 7th and runs through the end of October, combines boots from the museum’s own collection with pieces from 13 lenders. Among the highlights are a vintage pair of blue, red, and tan boots custom-made in the 1930s for country star and avid collector Gene Autrey (image below).
“The origins of the cowboy boot stretch far beyond the American West, including innovations developed in Asia, Spain, North Africa, and present-day Mexico,” Elizabeth Semmelhack, director and senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum, said in a statement. “Since their invention in the late nineteenth century, cowboy boots have embodied contradiction. They have symbolized labor and leisure, freedom and domination, as well as resistance and reclamation. Whether worn in the saddle, on screen, or in the streets, cowboy boots are a cultural touchstone, embodying both tradition and transformation in a constantly changing world.”
BAFTA isn’t the only museum carving out space to honor this American idol. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK, wrapped up its own Lucchese-sponsored exhibition—Cowboy Boots: From Roundups to Runways—earlier this month, which included boots that belonged to Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Will Rogers, and André the Giant.
The Takeaway: Not only are cowboy boots being hailed as museum-worthy works of art nowadays, but they’re also getting more love from shoppers, thanks to celebrity endorsements and the growing mass appeal of western wear everywhere from music festivals to city streets.
In fact, the worldwide cowboy boot market is projected to hit $291.3 million (up from $272.37 million last year), according to Global Growth Insights. And it’s expected to grow by almost 7 percent annually in the next five years, according to Cognitive Market Research data, compiled in The Global Cowboy Boots Market Report 2025. Giddy up!
