Ruum

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Ruum was a relatively short-lived children's clothing brand founded by Ezra Dabah--best known for being a successful CEO of The Children's Place during the '90s and early 2000s. Ruum actually began its life as a division of American Eagle Outfitters, however. American Eagle decided to expand into children's clothing in 2008 after several successful decades of making private-label casual apparel for adults. The company launched 77kids as an online-only venture, but it soon opened up several children's stores in major markets. Unfortunately, the introduction of 77kids coincided with the beginning of the major recession that began plaguing the country, and American Eagle soon found itself in financial trouble.

After suffering tens of millions of dollars in losses on 77kids in 2011, American Eagle sold the brand to Ezra Dabah's company Ezrani 2 Corp in early 2012. Dabah rebranded the clothes and all the existing stores under the new moniker Ruum. The new parent attempted to position Ruum as an "obtainable luxury" brand--priced between the discount stores and high-end department stores. In spite of plans to expand to more than 250 locations, however, Ruum quickly proved to be a financial failure, and Ezrani 2 Corp declared bankruptcy in 2015.

Babies & Kids Merchandise

Products

Though it was only around for about three years, Ruum came out with a wide assortment of apparel for babies, toddlers, children, and tweens. For its youngest customers, Ruum offered short- and long-sleeved graphic tees, button-downs, polos, and henleys. Once kids started to get a little older, you could find options like party dresses and day dresses for girls, as well as a selection of tops. More casual options included tees, tanks, and camis, while blouses and tunics were perfect for occasions.

Jeans were Ruum's most popular bottoms, and you could find all the top cuts and washes. Girls' jeans were available in styles like skinny, straight, and flare, while boys could choose among bootcut, straight, classic, and other options. Many of Ruum's bottoms also featured adjustable waists so that kids could find the perfect fit and keep a pair of pants for longer before outgrowing them. Other popular bottoms included shorts and skirts. The brand also featured categories like underwear, swimwear, and activewear for both boys and girls. In shoes, you could find ballet flats, flip-flops, sandals, Mary Janes, sneakers, boots, and booties. Accessories included belts, hats, scarves, hair accessories, sunglasses, backpacks, and more.

Swap.com's Rating of Ruum

Ruum didn't change very much about its product line after it transferred ownership from American Eagle, and the brand essentially suffered the same fate that it had under its original parent. Whereas the demise of 77kids could be (at least partially) blamed on the economy, however, Ruum simply struggled to find its niche. The brand's clothes are fairly traditional--combining common designs with bright and childlike colors and patterns--and so they are likely to appeal to a wide variety of customers shopping via consignment. Ruum clothes are well made and unlikely to go out of style any time soon, so we give the brand 4 stars out of 5.