As Australian Fashion Week (AFW) kicks off, Google Australia is releasing the top Search Trends that reveal the styles and trends capturing Australians' attention. From trackies to cardigans, the office siren aesthetic to skorts and tabi shoes… here’s the scoop:

• Search Interest in Australian Fashion Week is soaring (up 90% in the last 30 days), and Carla Zampatti is piquing Aussies’ interest, showing that timeless elegance is always in vogue!
• Beyond the excitement of AFW, we’re creatures of comfort: casual wear searches are at a record high, and we're seeing strong interest in athleisure, wide-leg jeans and tracksuits (search interest in tracksuits is the second-highest on record nationally since the pandemic in May 2020).
• Practicality is also key, with high interest in Gore-Tex and searches for “gore tex jacket,” “gore tex shoes,” and “rain jacket.”
• Aussies are curious about fast and slow fashion. “What is fast fashion” and “fast fashion and climate change” are two of the top trending related searches in the past month.
• As we cosy up for winter, search interest in cardigans is at an all-time high in Australia. We're looking up "knit cardigan," "long cardigan," and "cardigan jacket.”
• Search interest in “skort” reached an all-time high in Australia in November 2024 and Australia is the top country in the world searching for the topic in the past 12 months. Top trending related searches include: "leopard print skort", "gingham skort", "micro skort", "brown skort", and "linen skort".
• Top aesthetic searches include "Nancy Meyers," "coastal grandma," and "office siren."
• In the footwear department, ballet flats, tabi shoes, Golden Goose, loafers, riding boots, and mules are all having a moment.
• For a bit of sparkle, synthetic diamonds and Moissanite engagement rings are shining bright in search trends.
• And because we all need a little help putting it all together, Aussies are seeking styling advice, with top trending searches being "how to style flare leggings," "how to style barrel jeans" and "how to style loafers women.”

Like what you see? Get the look with Lens!

Have you been following or searching any of these fashion trends? Here's where it gets really fun: if an item catches your eye, Google Lens can help you search and style what you see – even if you don’t know the brand name or don’t know how to describe the style or pattern. To give it a whirl, simply open Lens and point your camera to search for items, find similar pieces, see how other people have styled it and compare pricing. You can also snap or screenshot a gorgeous pattern or fabric, and then use Lens or the Lens feature in Google Photos to find items in a similar style. Lens can also show you new ways to style clothes you already own, like that vintage cardi at the back of your wardrobe. Simply snap a pic and use Lens to see how others wear similar items!

Over 150 students, teachers, and special guests recently gathered in Western Australia for a super cool STEM event. Hosted by Schools Plus and supported by Google.org, the day at Southern River College was all about exploring the exciting worlds of science, technology, engineering, and maths.

Kids from ten local schools dived into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) with introductory activities led by the Google team. They also saw some seriously impressive robots built by students at Southern River College and were inspired by Superstar of STEM, Dr Adelle Goodwin, an astrophysicist who studies amazing things like how stars get eaten by black holes.

Important guests like Federal Member for Burt, the Hon Matt Keogh MP talked about how important it is for everyone to have a chance to learn about STEM. This fun event is part of a bigger project – created following a $3 million grant to Schools Plus from Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org – to give young people from lower socio economic areas future-focused opportunities like robotics clubs and competitions and learning to use AI. It's all about building students’ confidence and getting them excited about their future.