Vanilla Arucan: The Women in Stamps

In 2021, designer and archivist Vanilla Arucan launched a developing project that highlights Filipino women through postage stamps.

Words Yra Luis Gener Gutierrez
Photos Vanilla Arucan
March 19,2025

Postage stamps, the small visual designs affixed to the corner of envelopes, serve as proof of payment for mailed items. Though the practice of mailing letters and packages has waned in today's digital age, postage stamps have become even more significant. They offer a glimpse into the past, reflecting the society and culture of the time when they were issued.

In 2021, Filipino designer and archivist Vanilla Arucan launched a developing project titled Women in Philippine Postage Stamps. In an interview with Art+ Magazine, Vanilla shares the history, process, and purpose behind this ongoing project. 

Beyond the interest

Much like many of her other creative works, Women in Philippine Postage Stamps began with a spark of curiosity. “The birth of Women in Philippine Postage Stamps, as cliché as it may sound, was because of my curiosity,” Vanilla shares with Art+ Magazine.

Her fascination with stamps grew when she discovered one featuring Gabriela Silang, a female military leader who fought to avenge her husband's death. Today, Gabriela is a symbol of Filipino women leading in Philippine society.

“I share my birthday with [Gabriela Silang],” the 28-year-old reveals. “I got really curious about other Filipinas featured in our stamps,” she adds.

Seven years ago, Vanilla began sending postcards to a community of mail enthusiasts through Postcrossing. For her, the project goes beyond a mere interest in finding postage stamps featuring Filipino women. “It’s very personal,” she says.

“It’s a project of a mix of everything I love and stand for,” the designer and archivist explains. 

A Village for Locating Stamps

Creating Women in Philippine Postage Stamps was largely a solo endeavor for Arucan. “All information is self-researched and me going on deep dives,” she explains about the process of locating and collecting stamps.

While some of the stamps come from her own collection, thanks to her years of sending postcards, Arucan notes that “others are from the internet, [specifically] public domain.”

As the project progressed, she began receiving support from others. “Luckily, I got a few philatelists message me about wanting to become a part of the project,” she says. Philatelists, who study or collect postage stamps, contributed stamps for the project.

“Some of the granddaughters of women in the stamps have messaged me as well, sharing their support for the project,” she adds. “It’s internally becoming a community project too.”

A purpose-driven project

“My purpose was to give stamps a chance for appreciation,” Vanilla emphasizes, adding that it’s also about “re-energization.” With these goals in mind, she currently feels that presenting the project online is the most ideal approach.

“The format in how I chose to present them is really intentional for Instagram,” she explains. However, she also envisions the project expanding into offline media, such as posters, a zine, or a book.

For now, she sees the digital format as the best fit. “Hopefully, in the future, I can develop a website for Philippine stamps too,” she says.

She reflects on how often Jose Rizal has been commemorated since 1946, compared to Gabriela Silang, who has only been honored once in 1974. “I could be wrong,” she acknowledges with care, “but there’s not much literature on our post office, let alone who designs these stamps.”

“It’s both a design and gender studies issue,” she concludes, which her project aims to address.

Vanilla Arucan’s Women in Philippine Postage Stamps project brings new life to historical stamps while sparking important conversations about representation and gender in design. It offers a fresh perspective on history and reminds us of the cultural power behind these often-overlooked artifacts.