Air Max Penny 1 x Social Status “Recess” Pack: Sneaker Release Date, Price, Where To Buy

The 1990s were a TREMENDOUS decade for sneakers. Michael Jordan. Allen Iverson. Shaq. Charles Barkley. But you can’t talk about 1990s sneakers without talking about Penny Hardaway. Nike is teaming up with sneaker boutique Social Status for the release of the “Recess” Pack on Friday, July 15.

UPDATE: The Air Max Penny 1 x Social Status collab in what is now being called the Light Orewood Brown colorway will drop again on the Nike SNKRS app on July 22 at 10 a.m. ET, again for $190.

The Penny line from Nike is one of the greatest signature athlete lines of all time, even if there were only four models released during Penny’s playing career. Perhaps none is greater than the initial model, the Air Max Penny 1, which debuted for the 1995-96 NBA season.

The Magic were coming off a trip to the NBA Finals and boasted perhaps the most dynamic duo in the NBA in Shaq and Penny. Nike, looking to capitalize on Penny’s success with the Magic and his stellar play, put the advertising rocket behind him and created the now iconic commercial partnership with Penny and Lil’ Penny, aka Chris Rock.

Of course, no matter how great the player or the commercial none of it will matter to the general public if the shoe doesn’t deliver. Luckily for all involved, the Air Max Penny 1 delivered. Designed by Eric Avar, who would go on to work on many more iconic Nike models including the Kobe line, the Air Max Penny 1 was notable for its wing on the lateral side of the shoe with its jeweled Nike Swoosh and Air Max unit in the heel. The Magic would not make the Finals again in 1996 — no one was going to deny the GOAT MJ that season — but Penny continued his stellar play and this would be the beginning of a beautiful sneaker line for one of the league’s most popular young players.

For this release. Social Status is teaming up with Nike to drop two colorways, the Black and Desert Sand. To support the release, the sneaker boutique dropped a short film to distill the message behind the collab.

On its website, Social Status says, “Anything can happen at recess. Between class and the playground, always make sure you stay ready!” To further highlight the “recess” story, both colorways will feature velcro Swooshes that can be interchanged in designs mimicking the balls from other sports such as baseball and football as well as several solid colors, similar to the Air Jordan 3 Tinker from 2019. The heel will feature the Social Status logo, although the traditional One Cent logo will appear on the tongue. The Black colorway will also feature an icy blue outsole, while the Desert Sand will feature a solid white outsole. Both will feature a suede upper and underneath the velcro Swoosh you will find a Swoosh pattern similar to the classic blue Swoosh on the Black colorway or a solid Black Swoosh on the Desert Sand colorway. Nike has also uploaded a “Behind the Design” presentation to SNKRS further explaining the collaboration.

The shoes released on July 15 for $190 on the Social Status website at 11 a.m. ET and the Light Orewood Brown colorway will drop on the Nike SNKRS app on July 22 at 10 a.m. ET for the same $190.

Social Status also sent out the following thread on July 18 further relating to the story behind the collab:

Best of luck to all who will be going for a pair of what will surely be highly-coveted sneakers.

To see more of this month’s releases, check out our release date calendar.