In the 70s, New York's vital and chaotic fashion industry sustained over a million manufacturing jobs. The daily interplay of designers and makers happened organically. Community, cross pollination, produced start ups on a daily basis.
That is, New York City itself was a fashion incubator.
The first time I remember hearing about an incubator (in Silicon Valley) was in the 1990s. Since then, incubation-like opportunities have propagated. While many incubators have much to offer, their rise is indicative of an underlying want. Also, new industries now have an interest in prolonging stages of development entrepreneurs once sought to grow out of quickly.
