In a small workshop in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, Halima al-Ankassuri embroiders traditional patterns onto a blue shawl, destined for sale in an upmarket Paris, London or Dubai boutique.

The 54-year-old mother of seven describes her work as "modern products with shimmering colours, embroidered with Palestinian and Islamic motifs".

"I'm proud to see Europeans wearing what we produce here and to see top fashion magazines take an interest," she said referring to the German online edition of Vogue, a large smile on her face, girded with a red veil.

The Jerash camp where she lives, in northern Jordan, was established to host more than 11,000 Palestinians who fled the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war -- hence its alternative name, Gaza Camp.