Legacy of ROUTE 66
More than a highway. A symbol of freedom, adventure and the open road since 1926.
The Main Street of America
Running between Chicago and Los Angeles, “over two thousand miles all the way” in the words of the popular R&B anthem, ROUTE 66 passes through the heart of the United States on a diagonal trip that takes in some of the country’s most archetypal roadside scenes.
Commissioned in 1926 and fully paved in 1938, it earned its title because it wound through small towns across the Midwest and Southwest, lined by hundreds of cafés, motels, gas stations and tourist attractions. During the Great Depression hundreds of thousands of families made their way west along it — the road John Steinbeck called The Mother Road. After the war it carried thousands more toward California, and the great American driving vacation was born.
Then and now
Bypassed by the Interstates and decommissioned in 1985, the old road was designated Historic ROUTE 66 — and its diners, motels and neon are kept alive by travellers who still come for the real thing.
The end of the highway was far from the end of ROUTE 66.
Its spirit and imagery endured, making ROUTE 66 one of the most recognisable symbols of American freedom, travel and adventure. Today that legacy continues through the brand: Tempting Brands owns the rights to ROUTE 66 across a wide range of product categories, in more than 100 countries.
A century on the road
- 1926
U.S. Route 66 is commissioned — Chicago to Los Angeles
- 1938
Fully paved: the “Main Street of America”
- 1978
Our beginning: motor clothes and accessories introduced by Eastwood Motor Supplies
- 1985
The highway is decommissioned and becomes Historic ROUTE 66
- 1993–95
Navigation software worldwide by ROUTE 66 Geographic Information Systems; sunglasses at German highway service stations with Primetta
- 2008
Trademark registrations consolidated under Tempting Brands AG
- 2012
Bags launch in Brazil with Maxlog and in Italy with RTK; fragrance and cosmetics rights acquired from Coty; fragrances across Europe with Kent Fragrances
- 2013
Apparel promotions in 5,000 Netto and Kaufland stores across Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- 2017–18
Back-to-school in Iberia with Busquets, garden accessories in Germany with Ferrum, leather goods in Italian boutiques with CBL; apparel enters Inditex worldwide; bed linen in Germany with Skybrands
- 2019–20
Footwear made in Italy by CEBO; UK street fashion with Brand Alliance; Scandinavia with Hybris; motorcycle helmets in France with Trade Con
- 2021
Direct-to-retail opens with Lojas Renner in Brazil; cosmetics and grooming in Brazil with Viking; perfumes in Europe with Mäurer & Wirtz
- 2022
Biker apparel online across Europe with EMP; direct-to-retail with Woolworth in Germany and Reliance Retail in India; footwear in France with Chauss Europe
- 2023–24
Perfumes in 20+ countries with Diamond International; car accessories in the US with iWorld; Canada with NTD Apparel; denim in Germany with Karl Rieker; slippers in Brazil with MC Indústria; apparel launches in Primark; footwear into Carrefour Spain with BACCI
- 2025
Luggage and apparel reach Singapore and Thailand; luggage distributed across South East Asia by Retro Development
- 2026
Eyewear in the United States with Olympia; commemorative coins worldwide with the Monnaie de Paris
