His first job was with a garment house in Wigmore Street, close to Oxford Street, where he earned 28 shillings and sixpence a week. In 1952, he was apprenticed to Michael Sherard, a member of the elite Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers and known for his occasion and evening wear. Joining the firm a year before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth meant Arbeid was thrown into a busy environment as Britain's high society ladies refurbished their wardrobes.