Rooms to Go retail furniture vet joining The RW Collective
ROCKFORD, Ala. — The RW Collective, a vertically-integrated to-the-trade resource for retailers and designers, has named Ashley Strahan Barnett as the director of merchandising for RW Classics, the company’s domestic upholstery division.
As part of her new role, Barnett will serve as merchandising liaison for the Saltillo, Miss.-upholstered furniture factory RW acquired in 2025 to bring more of its manufacturing back to the United States. With more than 20 years of experience in fashion and lifestyle industries, Barnett’s resume includes a series of management roles at leading upholstered furniture manufacturer HM Richards (the majority-owned subsidiary of Rooms to Go). Most recently, she served as its director of merchandising. Earlier in her tenure she was a fabric and upholstery merchandise manager and design assistant.
Rebekah Osborn, chief operating officer for The RW Collective, said that Barnett will be charged with expanding the Saltillo product offerings, with a focus on reducing lead times and increasing customization capabilities for RW’s retail and design customers, as well as its private label/OEM business.
“Ashley is well-known for her fabric-to-frame expertise and her ability to push the envelope and elevate a look while importantly hitting strategic price points,” Osborn said. “She’s very strong on the fabric side and has great relationships with the mills, as well as extensive experience with custom fabric work.”
Barnett plans to expand RW Classics’ performance fabric and machine-washable offerings, and her experience of working on projects with multiple brands simultaneously makes her an “ideal fit for our business model,” said Osborn.
“RW’s multiple lines and special private-label projects with leading retailers really appeal to me creatively,” said Barnett. “It is an incredible opportunity to interact and cross-merchandise with their retail chains — Jes & Gray and Stock & Trade — as well as to flex my creative muscles with the upholstery factory’s multiple OEM accounts. A lot more hands-on in the factory in terms of R&D and production, it’s opening up a whole new world for me creatively and professionally.”
The RW Collective encompasses a portfolio of brands including Atelier Home, Beyond Borders Furniture Co., Southern Sky Home, Padma’s Plantation, Jes & Gray Living, Rockford Trading Company, Threads Republic and Bed Tech.
