1 colorway of the Nike Air Max 1 SP on SoleBook.
The Nike Air Max 1, designed by Tinker Hatfield and released in 1987, changed sneaker design forever by exposing the Air-Sole unit through a visible window on the lateral heel, a concept reportedly inspired by the Pompidou Centre's exposed architecture. The "SP" tag denotes Nike's Special Project line, reserved for premium materials, limited runs, and collaborations that push the original silhouette beyond its retail-standard iterations. Since the mid-2000s, Air Max 1 SP releases have served as a testing ground for elevated leathers, deadstock-inspired suedes, and reissued colorways tied to Nike's "Genealogy of Air" and Atmos "Animal Pack" projects, often distributed through select boutiques rather than wide release. Over the decades, the Air Max 1 has become one of the most recolored sneakers in Nike's catalog, with the SP designation signaling a version worth attention among collectors chasing original box art, printed tissue paper, and other retro packaging details. These drops frequently reference archival themes, from OG color-blocking to homages tied to specific cities or eras of the shoe's history. The SP line has helped keep the silhouette culturally relevant, bridging its late-80s running-shoe origins with the sneaker culture that now treats it as a design icon.