The clothing colour code was initialised by the Galactic Alliance as a means to reduce confusion and save time in urgent situations. Even those off-duty [as shown by their footwear] can and must assist if they are the closest expert in the area.
Off-duty citizens wear soft or open footwear, up to and including bare feet. Hard and closed footwear is for work.
Most citizens use sockasins [A hybrid of socks and moccasins. Basically socks with a sole] when off duty, as they can serve as socks in an emergency.
The clothing colour code:
- Red - medical
- Blue - engineering
- White - languages [must know more than three]
- Purple - security
- Orange - services
- Yellow - food preparation
- Gold - Ambassador
- Green - botanical
- Grey - public property [also penal attire]
- Silver - Emergency
- Sparkly - entertainment
This is a general list as some occupations have specific colours [eg: Cleaner breeders wear bright pink with silver stars]