Rather than draw inspiration from Atwood’s words, Crabtree looked outwards and into the real world. “If you were to look inside my brain when I was on a marathon or visual hunt, it would look like the mind of a mad man,” she laughs. “It’s literally from everywhere.”

Significant world events influence Crabtree’s designs very often – but so do iconic fashion moments, an element which is clearly seen in Joseph Fiennes’ character, Commander Fred Waterford. “The commander is very classist in nature, but he’s also a social marketing machine,” muses Crabtree. “He utilises his clothes as propaganda. The Gilead gent is very much rooted in times of war – but also in Nineties Prada, which took its symbolism from military uniforms.”

Of course, the show takes place in two separate times: Gilead, and the America that came before it. For Crabtree, however, there is a third period to consider – that “in-between moment”, during which changing religious and political beliefs start to creep into people’s dress. “It happens throughout time, all time,” she says. “Historically, you can see it: hemlines start to get longer, silhouettes get fuller, people start to adapt and adopt to different cultural things which can conceal the body and the sex. Then you get to Gilead and all bets are off.”

Perhaps most interesting of all, though, is that Crabtree hides a piece of herself within each costume she creates. “Amanda Brugel’s scarf came from a scarf that I used to wear every day,” she says, “and Lizzie Moss’ boots are my own. Some would call that ego, and that would not be a lie, but others say, ‘throw yourself into your work and you’ll fall in love with it more’.”

Crabtree’s designs have now become a symbol of real resistance, with women wearing copies of the handmaids’ habits to protests, demonstrations and rallies, but she insists she cannot take responsibility for that. “The design isn’t mine, it’s based on an amazing novel that inspired me as a young girl and now people are riffing off the costume that inspired them in a show. But I love that this oppressive design is empowering women now. As someone who is deeply involved in these feminist movements, I can only say that is absolute pure beauty.”

Watch out for…

While the red habit is the most famous of Crabtree’s designs, the handmaids’ black-and-red funeral costumes (seen for the first time this season) speak to her far more.

“This design came from a pop-up exhibition at the Paley Centre,” she explains.

“I wanted something super-abstract, so I covered them in black, with a piece of red fabric stretched over their faces. It’s a means of keeping the red, the life force, even though they’re in mourning.  I hope it will become as iconic as the red-and-white handmaids.”

The making of The Handmaid’s Tale